All In One Night
by Miriam Who
Summary: Vivian, a good friend of Rose, just happens to be visiting on the very day the 9th Doctor arrives at the Tyler flat. From there, she is swept up in the Doctor's many adventures and eventually, by the Time Lord himself. This story is heavily influenced by the BBC television series; however, it will quickly begin to diverge from the canon story-line. Enjoy!
1. An Armless Encounter

This fan fiction is based on the Doctor Who television series. Doctor Who is a trademark of the BBC. The stories from the television show and the Doctor Who characters within are copyrighted by the BBC. The original character Vivian is of my making.

This story is written for the purpose of Doctor Who fan enjoyment and is heavily influenced by the television series storyline. I will continue to follow the television series to a certain extent; however, I will quickly begin to diverge from the canon storyline. It is my intent to have at least one completely original adventure for every two television series adventure. After all, the addition of Vivian will undoubtedly change things. Enjoy!

This story is **rated M** due to some language and non-explicit adult themes and should not be read by those under the age of 16.

*On another note, I am _attempting_ to use the British spelling in these stories to remind myself that the dialogue should be as British English as my American English writing can handle. **If you speak British English, feel free to make comments on my dialogue, word use, and spelling.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1 – An Armless Encounter**

"You're having me on!" Rose released a snort in disbelief.

Vivian blushed.

Rose's eyes went wide. "You're kidding?"

Vivian turned a shade darker and focused on a stuffed pink elephant that was on a shelf above Rose's bed.

Rose blinked. She wasn't sure Vivian knew what sex was. Well, of course, Vivian _knew_ , but it was so strange to think of her doing _that_ with a stranger.

"What was all that about love and such?" Rose asked her. "I mean I know you and Phillip…"

The blood in Vivian's face drained completely.

"Oh, Lord. Sorry." Rose felt horrible.

Vivian closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

"I'm such-" Rose tried to apologise.

"It's alright Rose," Vivian said with a sigh. "It's fine."

Rose knew it wasn't fine.

"Phillip's an arsehole," Vivian said with real conviction. "I'm just glad... I'm glad it happened _before_ Paris. Really."

Rose nodded. It made her angry even thinking about it. She knew very well Phillip would have gone along to Paris, shagged Vivian silly, and then continued to see that slag Laura with Vivian being none the wiser.

"Besides," Vivian smiled dreamily, and her eyes glassed over, "Jean was wonderful."

"It must have been one hell of a shag." Rose laughed.

Vivian's eyes rolled back in her head, and she fell back into the chair. "I'm ruined."

Both girls burst into giggles.

Rose was glad. She'd been worried when Vivian went off to Paris alone. She'd even volunteered to go in Phillip's place, not that it would have been a hardship. It was Paris after all. However, Vivian had wanted alone time. Apparently, it had worked. Though, Vivian hadn't remained alone for long. Since Vivian's return from Paris, she seemed completely changed. Well, not completely. It was evident she was still hurt by Phillip, but Rose had been ecstatic when Vivian kicked his bullocks, literally, to the kerb. She didn't even give him a moment to grovel. Pre-Paris Vivian would have never done such a thing.

After their giggles had ceased, Rose felt it was safe to dig a bit more. "I didn't think you'd go for a guy that old."

"It wasn't like he was ancient Rose, probably late thirties, maybe early forties or something. Hardly old." Vivian defended her Parisian lover. "Timeless," Vivian murmured. "That's what he was Rose. There was something just timeless about him."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, I think it's weird, but I suppose if you'd pick up a guy, he'd be all Austin and such. Was there some sort of convention or something?"

"We were at the Palais Garnier," Vivian told her. "People dress you know."

Rose's eyebrow rose. "A cravat?"

"Fine, just because nobody else dresses anymore… it suited him." Vivian then smiled and twirled a finger through her hair. "And, he had gorgeous hair. Curls."

"A pretty boy then."

"Man. Most definitely a man," Vivian corrected. "But yes, very pretty."

Another bout of giggles erupted.

"But you didn't even get his number!" Rose complained. "How could you do that and then not even get his number? Jean Dupont is probably not even his real name."

Vivian nodded. She knew very well it was possible, even probable. "It just seemed… it seemed somehow wrong to consider that sort of thing at the moment. It was all just so romantic, like it was all a dream."

Rose rolled her eyes. "And now you're going to sit here all your life dreaming of Mr Paris because you didn't get his number."

"I guess I'll have to, though it would have been nice to have more time."

"So, since we're both out of luck for the moment, how about some chips then?" Rose asked.

"Not fish." Vivian clarified. "I hate fried fish. And that smell." Vivian wrinkled her nose.

"Just chips then. We'll eat outside."

"Chips it is."

 **Two weeks later.**

"I take it you're not dead," Vivian told Rose as the red-headed girl opened the door to the Tyler flat. Vivian held up her phone and gave it a shake. "I tried to call when I saw it on the news this morning."

Rose shrugged and wandered into the front room. "I'm all right, just out of a job." Rose plopped down into the nearest chair.

"Are you going to get dressed?" Vivian asked. "I mean, I could put in a word for you down at the theatre."

"What? Sweep up popcorn, stale beer? Or, back in the kitchen or something?"

Vivian rolled her eyes. "You could work backstage, maybe help paint sets. You didn't do too bad in art class."

"Hmm. Thanks, but no."

Vivian watched as her friend's gaze drifted out the window. Rose was obviously preoccupied with something other than being out of work.

"What?" Vivian asked.

"It's just… Last night-"

"The explosion?"

"Yeah. There was this-"

Rose was interrupted by a rattling noise, followed by a flop, from the front door.

"Ahhh mum!" Rose stood up and strode towards the front door. "You're such a liar! I said to nail down that cat-flap."

"Did it weeks back," Jackie called from her room.

"Nah, you thought about it mum. We're gonna get strays!" Rose complained.

Vivian had just started flipping through _Heat_ when Rose walked in, followed by a man dressed in a black leather jacket.

"Don't mind the mess." Rose waved the man into the room with a flick of her hand.

The man gave Vivian a quick glance, followed by a nod, and then looked about the room as though now that he'd acknowledged her, she was about as interesting as a glass of water.

"Stray cat," Vivian muttered to herself.

Apparently, the man had good hearing because his head snapped back to her and he gave her a wink.

Vivian suddenly became very interested in Jackie's trash magazine.

"Want some coffee?" Rose asked the cat man.

"Might as well, thanks. Just milk."

Rose headed towards the kitchen but then called out, "Viv?"

Vivian didn't hear her. She was preoccupied, covertly studying the man in the leather jacket. He had a slightly odd appearance, large ears, and a large nose, emphasised by his closely cropped hair cut. Vivian couldn't help her eyes from following him as he wandered about the room. Perhaps it was the way he seemed to move as though animated by some invisible electric charge. She shook her head and looked back down at the magazine.

"Viv?" Rose called out again.

"Oh! Please. Lots of cream. Thanks."

"It won't last," a male voice said from behind her.

The cat man had somehow manoeuvred his way behind the settee and was looking down at the magazine she had in her lap.

"What?"

"It won't last." He pointed between two celebrities that she didn't recognise. "He's gay, and she's an alien."

The way he said it was so steady that she almost believed he was serious. The corners of her lips lifted. "Right. Well, that would be difficult." She then held out her hand. "I'm Vivian."

"Doctor." He gave a good quick shake and then wondered off. He seemed to be attempting to try to appear like he wasn't looking for something; however, he wasn't doing a very good job of it.

She watched him for a moment and then looked back down at the magazine in her lap. Apparently, he wasn't interested in further conversation. "Right."

Only moments later he spoke once more from behind her. "Just the Doctor."

She craned her neck to look at him. "I'm sorry?"

His head gave a slight tick to the right. "Most people ask, you know, 'Doctor who?' or something."

"I suppose that would be rather logical."

"Yep." He continued to look at her as though he was waiting for something.

"Right, well, I often find being logical can be rather boring don't you think?"

The man gave the widest grin she'd ever seen. It was slightly frightening, and it was, therefore, unnerving when he jumped over the back of the settee and sat down next to her. He then proceeded to pick up one of Jackie's magazines. Vivian nearly laughed when she saw the expression on the Doctor's face. He quickly discarded it onto the coffee table.

"Not in the market for women's knickers then I take it?"

He ignored her comment and went for one of Rose's novels. He paged through it, "Hmm. Sad ending." It too was tossed back on the table.

"You're a friend of Rose's then?" Vivian asked.

He made a noncommittal noise and then turned to her, rubbing and pulling on his ears. "What do you think? What do you make of the ears?"

Vivian wasn't sure how to respond to that. Had he had some sort of surgery? "Well, I suppose-"

"Could have been worse." He scrunched up his nose before smiling at her again.

Vivian couldn't help but smile back. His enthusiasm seemed electrifying. She was surprised he wasn't bouncing around on the settee.

"We should go to the police," Rose called out from the kitchen.

Vivian had nearly forgotten about her.

"Seriously. Both of us."

Vivian looked at the man next to her who was now running what looked like a pen light, a large pen light, along the back of the settee.

"You were at Henrick's?" Vivian asked the Doctor.

"Yep." He had a look of concentration on his face as he drew closer to her.

Vivian wasn't sure how to respond when he began running the light up her arm. She gave a slight chuckle. "Ok, do I want to know what you're doing?"

He gave her a wink and a smile. "Just checking."

"I see. And that little light, what exactly is it checking for?"

"It's a screwdriver." He told her.

"A screwdriver?"

"Yep." He held the pen light screwdriver out so she could get a better look at it.

It didn't look like any screwdriver she'd ever seen. "Looks more like a Star Wars letter opener or something," Vivian told him. "Like a laser is going to shoot out of it or something."

He looked insulted. "Or something," he muttered. "It's a _sonic_ screwdriver." He clarified, as though it explained everything. He then returned to scanning the back of the settee.

"And what are you-" Vivian didn't get a chance to finish questioning the Doctor. A long white arm leapt up from behind the settee, latched its fingers around her neck, and proceeded to strangle her.

"There you are!" The Doctor seemed thrilled to see the arm and began to advance, his sonic screwdriver at the ready. Unfortunately, as Vivian fell back onto the settee, one of her legs gave a kick, knocking the Doctor's screwdriver out of his hand.

"Ahhh." The Doctor groaned in pain but hurried forward in an attempt to pull the arm off Vivian's neck.

Just when Vivian thought she might pass out, the arm suddenly released, only to latch onto the Doctor. Vivian's eyes widened as she saw how quickly the Doctor's face was turning red.

She stepped forward, about to try to remove the thing, but the Doctor waved her away. "Scr….drive ahhh." The Doctor tried to speak, flailing one arm towards the coffee table.

The Screwdriver. He wanted the screwdriver. It wasn't on the table. Under. She reached under and pulled out the strange thing.

The Doctor's face was now purple. She hurried forward and held out the screwdriver, only to have the arm come flying at her, pushing her down onto the floor. In a great leap, the Doctor soon followed. In moments the struggle ended. The Doctor used his screwdriver to still the thing.

"OH MY GOD!"

Both Vivian and the Doctor froze and looked to see a very shocked Rose.

Vivian's eyes were wide as she realised she was straddling, heaving, over the Doctor.

"Well, that was armless fun!" The Doctor said from underneath her. He pulled the hand from between them and waved it around a bit. Vivian looked down at him and frowned. She was still trying to process the fact that she'd nearly been killed by a bodiless plastic arm, and here he was having a joke.

 _Armless fun?_ Vivian was suddenly angry. She readied to stand only to hear a slight groan come from the man beneath her. Her eyes widened, and she froze. She looked down at him. There was a brief moment of confusion that flitted across his face before he gave a nearly maniacal smile, followed by a wink. She almost levitated off him, and in one great leap, he followed.

"What was that?" Rose asked, her voice raised. She gestured to the ground where they had been moments before.

The Doctor looked down at the arm on the floor, to Vivian, and then back to the arm. "An arm."

Rose frowned. "Not that. This." She gestured between Vivian and the Doctor."

"It attacked us, Rose." Vivian stepped away from the Doctor who was now casually swinging the arm back and forth. "That arm," she pointed to it, "It attacked us!"

Vivian thought Rose might not believe her, so, she was surprised when Rose looked to the Doctor and accused, "I thought you blew it all up?"

"Not quite. I need to trace it back to the source." He waived the arm around. "Now I can."

Vivian's eyes grew wide. "You? You caused the explosion?" She moved further away from the Doctor. "They found a body!" She quickly drew out her phone and began to press numbers, only to have Rose pull it away.

"No. Viv."

"Good Lord Rose, Wilson's dead!"

"You don't know what happened Viv. It was horrible!" Rose looked at the Doctor. "They were real then?"

"Yep."

"Not students?"

"Not students." He lifted the arm once more and tossed it to Vivian. "Perfectly safe now."

On instinct, Vivian caught it and then immediately hit him with it.

"Ouch!"

"What is this thing? Why did it try to kill me?" Vivian asked.

"You! You think the world revolves around you then?" He snorted.

She whacked him with the arm once again. "No. The world doesn't revolve around me, but this," She brandished the arm, "tried to kill me, and I feel that's rather important."

The Doctor took the arm from her.

"That thing is dangerous," Vivian continued. "It could have killed me. It could have killed YOU." Now that she no longer had the arm, she poked him in the chest with her finger. "What's it all about Doctor, with your sonic whatever you call it. It's not right."

"And what do you think normal is Viv?" He moved in closer to her.

The nearness made it impossible to poke at his chest, so she just raised her chin and stood up to him, "Don't you go calling me Viv."

"Very well… Vivian." He said with a smirk.

"I… I…"

"Well then." The Doctor stepped away, looked around the room, and gave both ladies a nod. "I'll be off then."

"Hold on! Where you off to?" Rose called out to the Doctor.

Vivian hurried to catch up with him. "You can't just go swanning off now!"

"Yes I can," He emphasised this by twirling the arm in the air. "Here I am. This is me, swanning off. See you."

"That arm was moving!" Vivian told him.

"Excellent observation!"

The Doctor wasn't stopping so Rose hurried ahead of him in an attempt to get in his way. "You can't just walk away!"

Vivian hurried to catch up; however, her shoes weren't as _hurry_ friendly. "You've got to tell me, tell us, what's going on. What is all this about? What exactly happened at the shop?"

The Doctor ignored her.

Rose attempted to flank him. "Fine then. I'll go to the police," She threatened. "You said people would get killed if I said anything. That thing nearly killed Viv. You've got to tell us. I'll go to the police. Your choice."

"Oh, that was supposed to sound tough then?" Rose's threat apparently amused the Doctor. Vivian couldn't help but agree that it was rather empty. What could they tell the police? A plastic arm attacked them?

"Who _are_ you?" Rose asked.

"Told you. The Doctor."

"What sort of Doctor?"

"Just the Doctor."

"The Doctor," Vivian muttered derisively.

"Hello." The Doctor had stopped momentarily, nearly causing both girls to stumble. He gave a little wave and then continued on his way.

"So who are you with then?" Rose asked. "Not the police?"

"Just passing through." He told her. "I'm a long way from home."

"Why did they try to kill me that night? In the shop." Rose asked.

"They were trying to get to me. You just got in the way, blundered in, nearly ruined the whole thing."

"So how did you find me? And that thing?" Rose nodded to the arm.

"I was tracking it down." He held up the sonic screwdriver and waved it about. "The only reason it fixed on you was because you met me."

Vivian snorted. "Right then, so the world revolves around you?"

"Sort of, yeah."

"Well _I_ hadn't met you, and it tried to kill me."

"Not true. We'd just met. Though I'm a bit surprised, it went after you first." He paused in his step. Obviously, this was something he found important enough to consider. He drew out his screwdriver and lifted it to her face.

"Stop that!" Vivian shooed him away. "Enough with that thing. What was it you did to the arm anyway? To make it stop."

"Severed the signal." He explained.

Rose gave the Doctor's jacket a bit of a tug and then asked, "The signal? Like a radio signal? Remote control?"

"Nope. Thought control."

Vivian had finally caught up and latched onto his arm to keep him from getting away. "Okay, thought control. So then what? Who's controlling it all?"

"The Nestene Consciousness. I'm going to try to track it with this." He held up the arm once more.

"What the hell is _The Nestene Consciousness_?" Vivian asked, becoming more annoyed.

"It's from Polymos." He told her as though it should have been common knowledge.

"From Polymos?" Vivian questioned.

"Yep."

"Poly like in polymer? Is that some sort of corporation or something?"

"Nope."

"Oh, you're a bunch of help!"

"Thanks." He abruptly pulled away and increased his stride.

Vivian didn't follow; she was getting frustrated.

Rose rushed passed her and called after him, "So then, what is it?" She attempted to get in front of him; however, he'd gotten quite good at avoiding her.

Vivian hurried to catch up once more and called to him, "What was with the shop dummies? Why is it animating them?"

Rose, who had given up on stopping him and was doing her best to walk beside him, gave a laugh and then asked, "Some sort of marketing thing gone wrong? Take over Britain's shops?"

This seemed to amuse the Doctor, and he slowed his pace. "Nope. It's not a price war Rose. They want to take over the human race, all of it. Destroy all of you."

"So you're talking aliens then?" Vivian asked. It was evident from her tone she was sceptical.

"Yep." He stopped abruptly, and Vivian nearly collided with him.

"So do you believe me?" He asked.

"No," Rose said with conviction.

Vivian wasn't as quick to answer. She studied the man's face and said in a softer tone. "I… I'm not sure what to believe anymore."

He gave her a slight smile. "But you're still here." He glanced to Rose. "You're both still listening." He examined them both for a moment and then turned once more and began walking away.

Vivian reached out and grabbed his arm.

He turned to look at her.

"You say they want to take over the human race."

"Yep."

"And you're going to do this all on your own?"

"Who else is going to do it? You lot just sit around eating chips and watching the telly. You can't see what's right under your noses."

"Please Doctor. Who are you?" Her tone softened.

Vivian knew exactly how he would reply, so she stopped him. "Yes. Yes. I know. You're the Doctor. But w _ho_ is the Doctor?"

He studied her for a moment, appearing as though he was determining how to answer her. "You know how I was saying, the Earth rotating?"

Vivian nodded.

"Do you remember when you were a kid, and they told you the world's turning round and round? You can't believe it. Just can't believe it because everything around you is still." He stepped closer to her. "I can feel it, Vivian. I can feel it spinning. Turning. The turn of the Earth." He took up one of her hands as though to steady her. "The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go…" He abruptly let go of her hand. "That's who I am Vivian. That's who I am."

Vivian's mind was spinning. For a moment she'd been sure she'd felt the world whirling around her.

"Now go home, Vivian. Go home, Rose Tyler. Go home and forget about me." He then turned and walked away.


	2. The Nestene Consciousness

**Chapter 2 - The Nestene Consciousness.**

When Vivian entered Giovanni's, she felt her stomach growl. She'd missed breakfast because she'd slept through the alarm and had nearly been late for rehearsals. She hadn't been able to fall asleep because she couldn't stop thinking about what had occurred the day before, and the man whom all the strangeness seemed to revolve. There hadn't been time for breakfast. She was therefore disappointed that when she found Rose and Mickey, the pizza hadn't arrived.

"Hiya Rose. Mickey." Vivian pulled a chair from a nearby table and sat down next to Rose. She noticed their menus were still on the table and groaned. They hadn't even ordered yet.

Rose scooted over to give her a bit more room.

"Pizza," Mickey said, drawing Vivian's attention to him. She thought he looked a bit feverish. His skin looked damp.

"You okay Mickey? You look a bit off."

"I'm fine Vivian. Fine. I'm fine. Great. Perfect." Mickey replied.

Vivian frowned. She turned to Rose but continued to observe Mickey out of the corner of her eye. "So, what have I missed?"

"I was just telling Mickey that I could try the hospital. Suki said they had jobs going in the canteen."

"I told you what I think. Do you really want to leave smelling like that, you know, that kitchen smell?" Vivian scrunched up her face.

Rose sighed. "I guess I could get my A Levels."

Vivian nodded. She'd been telling that to Rose ever since Jimmy Stone.

"And don't say it." Rose held up her hand. "I know it was stupid. Look where he ended up." She turned to Mickey, "What do you think?"

"So where did you meet this Doctor?" He asked Rose.

Vivian frowned. Hadn't Mickey been listening?

"I'm sorry, wasn't I talking about me for a second?" Rose complained.

Mickey leant forward. "I reckon it started back at the shop, am I right?"

 _Was Mickey jealous?_ Vivian thought.

"Did he have something to do with that?"

"No," Rose told him.

"Come on." Mickey clearly didn't believe her.

Vivian was now sure something was off about him.

"Sort of," Rose replied.

"What was he doing there? Come on. You can trust me, sweetheart, babe, sugar, babe, sugar."

Vivian frowned.

"You can tell me anything. Tell me about the Doctor and what he's planning, and I can help you, Rose."

Rose narrowed her brow and leant towards Mickey. "What are you doing that for?"

"You're champagne." A voice said somewhere behind them.

"We didn't order any champagne," Mickey said in annoyance, his eyes not leaving Rose.

"Mademoiselle, your champagne."

Vivian felt something brush against her back, so she turned and looked up. It was the Doctor, and he was shaking a champagne bottle, aimed directly at Mickey. He lifted one finger to his lips, indicating he wanted her to stay quiet.

"It's not ours." Rose waved the Doctor off without turning around. She leant towards Mickey, "What's wrong?"

"I need to find out what you know, so where is he?"

Vivian's eyes widened. Mickey wasn't sick. He was plastic.

"Doesn't anybody what this champagne." The Doctor asked.

"Look, we didn't order it." Mickey finally looked up. "Ah. Gotcha!"

"What do you say, Viv?" The Doctor looked down and gave her a wink. "Shouldn't we have a toast to the happy couple?" With that, the Doctor released the cage, the cork shot out and disappeared into plastic Mickey's forehead.

It seemed to have little effect on him. He began to chew and then spit it out.

All watched in horror as one of Mickey's hands transformed into a large plastic chopper. In seconds, chaos erupted within the restaurant as plastic Mickey began chopping through tables and swinging madly in an attempt to get to the Doctor. Rose and Vivian flew passed them. Both girls watched as the Doctor got plastic Mickey in a headlock and then proceeded to pull its head off.

"Don't think that's going to stop me!" Mickey's head threatened from under the Doctor's arm. The rest of him had fallen back and was now wreaking havoc on the restaurant, nearly taking out a few of the customers.

"Good lord!" Vivian almost choked. "Get out! Get out!" She screamed.

Rose hit the alarm near the door. "Everyone! Get out!"

With that, Rose, Vivian, and the Doctor ran.

"We've got to get out!" Rose screamed as she pushed and pulled on a large gate. They had run through the kitchen and directly into a dead end. The only exit was through a large set of wooden doors donning barbed wire across the top.

There was no other way to run.

Use that letter opener thing!" Vivian begged the Doctor.

"Come on!" Rose yelled as she continued to push and pull at the door.

"Sonic screwdriver." The Doctor corrected Vivian.

"Well just use it!" Vivian began to panic. She tried to help Rose pull on the door.

"Nah, tell you what, let's go in here."

Vivian turned back to see the Doctor stroll casually towards a blue box. A blue Police box that looked extremely out of place in a dark alley.

"You can't hide inside a wooden box!" Rose reasoned.

Vivian agreed. Plastic Mickey would tear it down. She watched the doctor unlock the box and then disappear through the double doors.

 _Police Box. Blue Police Box._ Vivian now recalled the Doctor walking towards a blue box when he'd left them yesterday. Now, here was another, and it was extremely out of place. "I don't think that's just an ordinary box Rose." Vivian slowly approached the box.

Rose ran back to the gate and began to pull at the doors once more. She glanced behind and yelled at Vivian. "Come on! It's gonna get us!"

"Rose, let's just follow the Doctor. We're not getting out that way." Vivian moved towards the doors of the blue box.

Nothing could have prepared Vivian for what she found inside. Sure, she knew very well she wasn't going to be stepping into an ordinary blue police box; however, this was something altogether different. The Doctor was a strange man who went around chasing after plastic dummies that somehow had become animated. She recalled him saying, 'You lot…' as though he didn't consider himself like them. He could feel the Earth turning. Falling through space. Oh, she'd been expecting something strange, something different; this was extraordinary.

After her initial astonishment had worn off, Vivian's attention diverted to where the Doctor was rushing around a centre console. He was pressing buttons, pushing levers up, and pulling levers down.

"It's going to follow us!" Rose came barreling through the doors, shaking Vivian from her observations. "He's going to break down-" Her voice suddenly failed her as she took in her surroundings.

"The assembled hoards of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and believe me, they've tried. Now, shut up a minute." The Doctor told her.

"Spaceship." Vivian murmured to herself.

Vivian felt someone tug on her shirt. It was Rose.

"It's bigger… the inside is larger than the outside." Rose whispered.

The Doctor didn't seem to care about her revelation and shook Mickey's head in the air. "The arm was too simple, but the head… the head's perfect. I can use it to trace the signal." He then fixed the head to the console.

Once he was satisfied with his work, he turned back to face them. "Right then! Where do you want to start?" His eyes darted between them.

Rose moved forward. "Um… The inside's bigger than the outside."

"Yes."

"It's alien."

"Yep."

"Are you alien?"

"Yes. Is that all right?"

"Yeah."

The Doctor glanced towards Vivian; however, she was no longer standing where she'd been. He looked around and then found her near one of the pillars. He felt the Tardis shiver as Vivian proceeded to run her hand down its curve.

"So beautiful." She told the Tardis.

Both Rose and the Doctor were now staring at her as she explored the ship, her hands running over the surface in places as though trying to verify it was real.

"It's called the Tardis, this thing. T.A.R.D.I.S. Time And Relative Dimension In Space." The Doctor said a bit louder, gaining Vivian's attention.

Rose suddenly burst into tears.

Vivian rushed to her. "It's going to be okay Rose."

The Doctor didn't understand what had just happened. Why was Rose crying?

"No, it isn't," Rose clung to her friend. "Mickey. He's that thing." She then looked to where the Doctor was standing. "Did they kill him? Did they kill Mickey? Is he dead?"

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably. It was evident he hadn't considered that. "I didn't-"

"He's my boyfriend!" She gestured to the centre console where Mickey's plastic head was still attached. "You pulled his head off!"

"Doctor!" Vivian interrupted. "It's melting!"

Rose stood, shocked, wide-eyed.

The Doctor quickly turned to where Mickey's head was indeed melting, the plastic oozing around the wires and cables that were attached to it. "Oh, no, no, no, no!" The Doctor rushed forward, and once again he began pressing buttons and pushing and pulling levers.

Both Rose and Vivian nearly fell as the Tardis began to rock. Vivian grabbed onto one of the nearby pillars.

"What are you doing?" Rose shouted.

"Following the signal," The Doctor told her. "It's fading."

The Tardis seemed to level out and stop rocking.

"I've got it." He looked pleased with himself; however, this didn't last long.

Once more the Tardis began to move side to side, up and down, reminding Vivian as though she was on an aeroplane that just hit some severe turbulence.

"Almost there, almost there." The Doctor was now gazing into a monitor. "Here we go, here we go." The Tardis seemed even out once more. "There. That's it." He then abruptly rushed out the door.

"What are you doing?" Rose called after him. "It's not safe! That thing is out there."

Vivian slowly followed behind the Doctor.

"Viv! Don't go out there." Rose called after her. "Vivian!"

The Doctor shook his fists into the air in extreme disappointment. "I was so close! I was there!" He turned to Vivian who was still following behind him, only slightly astonished they had moved. "I lost the signal!" he complained.

Rose joined them. "We've moved! Does it fly?"

The Doctor turned and looked out into the Thames. "Disappears there, reappears here." He gave a flippant wave. "You wouldn't understand."

Vivian was annoyed.

"So now that plastic thing is back there, on the loose?" Rose's voice was full of concern.

The Doctor didn't bother to turn around. His shoulders slumped, and his arms hung loosely along his frame. "Melted with the head." He then turned around abruptly and glared at her, "Are you going to witter on all night."

 _Now that was uncalled for!_ Vivian stomped forward. "What is wrong with you?" Vivian poked him in the chest. "Who do you think you are being-"

"He's an alien Viv. He's an alien." Rose began to cry in hysterical sobs. "You went and forgot Mickey again! You… you… Alien! I'll have to tell his mum, and _YOU_ " She pointed an accusatory finger at the Doctor, "you don't even care. I'll have to tell his mum he's dead."

"Look," The Doctor sighed, "if I did forget some kid called Mickey-"

"He's not a kid! He wasn't… he was my boyfriend!"

"-It's because I'm trying to save the lives of every stupid ape blundering-"

"Ouch!" The Doctor covered his burning cheek with his hand and glared down at Vivian.

"That's quite enough!" She scolded him. "Saving the world is one thing. Yes. Thanks! But, you don't have to be a jerk about it. You ass!"

"Alien." Rose cried.

"Yes! Yes. He's an alien." Vivian turned back to the man and gave him a good hard poke in the chest, "But, first and foremost, you're a living being, human or otherwise, and that doesn't absolve you of being an ass!" She gave another good poke. "Stop it. Now!" She then looked to Rose. "Rose, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry about Mickey, but we can't do anything at the moment." She then gestured to the Doctor, "If what this ape is telling us is true, we can't stand here all night!" She then turned back to the Doctor. "What are we looking for?"

The Doctor was silent as he looked down at the young woman before him. It was as though his brain was having trouble processing what to say, "A… ah… a transmitter."

He then looked about wildly, "How can you hide something so big in a city this small?"

"So what does it look like?" Vivian asked.

"Round. Like a transmitter. Massive. Slap in the middle of London. Like a dish. Radial. A huge metal wheel. Close to where we're standing. It must be completely invisible." The Doctor turned full circle before looking down to see a surprisingly calm Rose. She was watching him, her eyebrow raised. "What?" He asked.

Rose nodded to something behind him. He glanced back but clearly didn't see what was right there in front of him.

Vivian immediately made the connection.

He glanced at Vivian, who nodded towards the river.

"What?" The Doctor turned around once more, still clueless.

"Now who's the stupid ape," Rose told him.

"What?" He turned back around and finally noticed the Eye of London in the distance. "Oh."

Both ladies could help their excitement surfacing when the Doctor smiled brilliantly.

"Fantastic!"

They ran through a small bricked hallway, lots of metal pipes and chains creating a dangerous obstacle course. Vivian was surprised she hadn't broken her neck already. She was sure the only reason she was still standing was that the Doctor was pulling her along at one end and Rose was following along gripping her other hand tightly. Rose's stride was just slightly slower, and Vivian had the feeling of being jostled harshly between two points. She soon came to a halt when she slammed into the Doctor.

"There." He said as he drew his sonic screwdriver out and traced it along the edges of a large steel door. He quietly pushed it open. Immediately a wave of heat billowed out from the other room. The smell was toxic.

The three hurried down a set of grated stairs until they reached a landing looking out onto a multi-level chamber. The room was stifling and looked more like some hellish torture chamber than an underground utility building.

"That," the Doctor nodded towards a vat of red liquid below, "is the Nestene Consciousness." The liquid appeared to roll in a near boil; however, on second glance it was revealed to be a living plastic creature, its face groaned and stretched.

"How are you going to kill it?" Rose whispered.

"I'm not here to kill it."

Even Vivian was slightly surprised.

"I've got to give it a chance."

"But what if it tries to kill us? It killed Mickey!" Rose said a bit louder but quickly regulated her voice.

"Anti-plastic." The Doctor held up a bottle of blue liquid.

"And that will destroy it?" Vivian asked.

The Doctor nodded. "But I've got to give it a chance. Its home planet was destroyed. All of its food stock destroyed in the war."

The Doctor then stepped forward, out of the shadows, and moved to edge of the platform. "I seek an audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation."

Below, the vat of liquid groaned and stretched; its face contorted into something more human-like.

"Thank you. May I approach?" The Doctor asked.

Vivian assumed he'd been granted permission because the Doctor turned and headed down a set of stairs towards a platform directly above the vat. She was slightly hesitant to follow. There weren't any railings.

"Oh, God! Mickey!" Rose blurted out, pointing to someone crouched down on the lower level. She turned to the Doctor, "They've kept him alive!"

"There was a chance. They might have needed a copy."

Rose glared and hurried down to her boyfriend.

"You knew and never said?" Vivian whispered.

"I couldn't be sure." He then turned back to the liquid below. "Am I addressing the Consciousness?"

Vivian felt her prior annoyance with the man dissipate as she listened to him defend her world. She couldn't help but remember the way he spoke of the world spinning. He loved Earth. He was protecting them.

Her musings were suddenly cut short by the sound of Rose screaming "Viv! Doctor! Look out!"

It was too late to react; she felt strong plastic hands grab hold of her arms and pull her back. She was horrified to see that the Doctor was in a similar situation.

She grew even more concerned when one of the creatures pulled the phial of anti-plastic out of the Doctor's pocket.

"I wasn't going to use it!" The Doctor tried to reason with them. "I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy."

She glanced at movement above them and was horrified to see that four of the plastic creatures were pushing the Tardis towards the edge of the platform.

"No! Oh, no." There was anguish in the Doctor's voice. He quickly turned back to the Consciousness. "Yes, that's my ship. No, no." He continued the conversation.

Vivian could only guess what was being said.

"That's not true!"

Vivian watched as the Doctor's face contorted in pain. It wasn't pain from the grip of the creatures detaining him; this was grief, a remembrance of a painful memory. "I should know, I was there. I was there, and I fought in the war. I couldn't save your world! It wasn't my fault!"

Vivian was sure she saw a tear.

"I couldn't save any of them!" The Doctor's voice was full of sorrow.

Just then Vivian's attention was drawn to Rose and Mickey who were scrambling towards them. "Run Rose!" She cried out. She looked up once more, and the Tardis was pushed a few more inches towards the edge of the platform.

"I can't just leave…" Rose tried to move forward, but Mickey pulled her back.

"Rose go! Get out! Just get out!" The Doctor yelled.

"Run!" Shouted Vivian as the Consciousness gurgled and burped in anger below.

Rose hesitated for a moment and then took off in the direction of the Tardis. She panicked when she pulled on the door, "I haven't got a key!"

"Let's go. Just leave them! There's nothing you can do!" Mickey pulled on her arm.

Rose looked around in panic. There had to be something she could do. She looked up, down, and around where Vivian and the Doctor were struggling with the plastic dummies.

"I've got to do something!" She cried out.

Mickey was shaking his head violently and began pulling on her once more.

She spotted a long chain tied back with a rope. Her heart was pounding in her chest. _An axe._ There was an axe leaning against the wall nearby.

"I've got to do something." She whispered. "I've got no A Levels, no job," her voice was growing stronger, "no future." She marched forward, shaking Mickey from her arm.

"But I tell you what I got, Jericho Street Junior School under 7s gymnastic team." In one swift motion, she picked up the axe and brought it down on the rope. "I've got the bronze!"

Vivian watched in both horror and hope as Rose came swinging down towards the two dummies who were holding her and the Doctor over the vat of liquid plastic below.

The plastic creatures didn't have a chance as Rose knocked them clear. For a very brief moment, Vivian throughout all would be well until she felt something tug on her leg. She suddenly found herself scrambling to hold onto the edge of the grated platform. Below her, latched onto one of her legs, was the plastic dummy that held the anti-plastic in its other hand. She let out a scream as she kicked, trying with all her strength to keep a firm grip on the metal grating.

"Vivian!" It was Rose who first noticed that her friend was in danger. The Doctor, after righting himself had focused on catching Rose upon her return swing. Rose hurried to the edge but wasn't sure what to do. "Hold on!"

The Doctor rushed to pull her up, but Vivian slipped from the edge after another violent kick. For a moment both Rose and the Doctor thought Vivian was done for; however, she was able to grab onto a bit of grating just below. The plastic creature was not so lucky; it went plummeting down into the angry vat, the anti-plastic still grasped in its hand.

"Help me!" Vivian cried.

The Doctor couldn't reach her. He turned to Rose and handed her a gold key, "Take the key. Get to the Tardis!"

Rose grabbed the key and hurried up towards the police box, pulling a hysterical Mickey along with her.

The Doctor turned back to where Vivian was hanging. Then, in one great leap, he swung down onto the lower ledge and readied to pull her up.

Just as he reached her, she let out a bloodcurdling scream and let go. The Consciousness below was screaming, boiling with anger. The vat was erupting, and Vivian was completely unprotected. She fell.

"Vivian!" Rose has screamed from above.

The Doctor nearly missed; however, he managed to grab onto Vivian's wrists.

"Go, Rose, get out of here." The Doctor ordered her as he struggled to pull Vivian up. "Get to the Tardis!"

Rose hesitated for a moment; however, after another blast of liquid plastic, and the screams of Mickey telling her to run. She did so.

Vivian was writhing in pain, but the Doctor managed to pull her up and then lift her from the ground. He ran. Up, up, he climbed, Vivian gripped tightly against him. He didn't slow down, even after the Tardis doors were safely closed behind him.


	3. Invitation to Trouble

**Chapter 3 - An Invitation for Trouble**

As soon as the doors closed, The Doctor released the screaming woman onto the ramp and rushed to the centre of the room.

"Vivian!" Rose hurried to her. She was horrified that the Doctor would just let her friend writhe there, screaming in pain. She was about to say something when she saw that he was rushing about the consul like a mad man. Of course, they had to get out of there.

Rose did the only thing she thought she could do. She took off her jacket and began trying to wipe the hot plastic off Vivian's leg.

Vivian let out a horrific sob and cried out. "No! No, no, no! Too much pain! Too much." She kept trying to sit up and push Rose away.

"Okay, okay. I'm so sorry Viv." Rose felt horrible. Useless. Surely there was something she could do. Vivian's leg looked terrible.

She glanced at Mickey and frowned. She was furious, what was he doing just cowering there? Why wasn't he doing anything! She quickly turned towards the Doctor. "What can we do?" Rose pleaded.

The Doctor didn't answer at first but flipped a few more switches before hurrying over. He seated himself on the ground and then pulled Vivian's head into his lap. "Try to keep her still." He demanded.

Rose took hold of Vivian's feet and attempted to stop her from kicking.

Vivian gave out a whimper and looked up to the Doctor. "Please!" She cried. Her face was soaked with tears.

The Doctor pulled out a bottle of yellow liquid from his pocket, and then pulled the cork with his mouth. He held out the bottle for Rose to take. "Pour this on her leg!"

Rose didn't hesitate.

Vivian let out a horrific scream. It took everything Rose had to keep her legs from kicking. The Doctor tried to hold her down while at the same time reaching into his pocket once more. This time he removed a grey liquid. He looked at it for a moment, as though contemplating something, before holding Vivian's mouth open and pouring the liquid down. He covered her mouth with his hand. "Don't spit it out. You need to drink all of it!"

It was evident Vivian was trying to comply; however, she was having a tough time of it.

"That's it." The Doctor tried to sooth the young woman. When he sensed Vivian had some control of her mouth, he removed his hand. "That's it."

Vivian's cries turned to whimpers and then Rose felt Vivian's body begin to relax. Not long after, her friend had quieted completely, and Vivian's eyes drifted closed. It was then Rose looked down at Vivian's leg. She nearly let out her own scream. Vivian's burn was bubbling with blue bubbles.

"He's killing her!" Mickey suddenly blurted out. He was now on his feet, backing towards the Tardis doors. "Look at her leg!" He looked as though he might pass out.

"Would you shut it!" Rose yelled at him. "Fat lot of good you are." She then turned to The Doctor for reassurance.

"Healing bubbles," the Doctor told her as he gently laid Vivian's head on the floor, giving up his jacket for her use as a pillow. He then looked to Mickey. "It'll stop any further injury and keep the pain down."

Mickey didn't look as though he believed him.

"Is she okay?" Rose asked. The worry was evident in her voice.

The Doctor nodded, though he looked slightly unsure. "She should be. Shouldn't be much longer now."

He then nodded towards Vivian's leg. Already the blue bubbles were beginning to disappear, and Rose could see that Vivian's skin looked better.

"What was that other stuff? That grey stuff you gave her?" she asked.

"Atronorphine Physoloadram."

This, of course, meant nothing to Rose.

"It's a super powered vitamin," he explained. "And a painkiller." He glanced down at Vivian and let out a relieved breath, "Ah, here we are then!"

"Vivian!" Rose nearly squealed when she saw Vivian flutter her eyes and give a bit of a stretch, followed by a painful groan.

Mickey was eying Vivian as though she might have transformed into some mutant creature.

"Thank God you're okay!" Rose knelt over Vivian. She could see her friend was still in a lot of pain. "I thought she was better?" Rose accused the Doctor.

"I am better Rose." Vivian tried to defend the man. "Much better." She looked up at the Doctor. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." His worried expression relaxed, and he smiled, he was now quite proud of himself.

Rose rolled her eyes.

It was then Vivian looked down at her leg and saw the blue bubbles which now looked more like a thick bubbling syrup. She grimaced when she tried to move her leg. It still hurt, but not nearly as much.

"Here," the Doctor said as he pulled a cloth out of one of his pockets. "Just got to wipe it up a bit." He hurried around and began cleaning off her leg.

Vivian flinched slightly, recalling the searing pain from when Rose had tried to wipe the Nestene goo off. She was extremely relieved to find her leg was only slightly sore.

"Not even a bit of a scar!" Rose exclaimed as the Doctor revealed Vivian's newly healed skin.

The Doctor nodded. "Yep."

Mickey looked a bit more interested; however, he still maintained his distance.

There was then a bit of a rumble, and the noise they'd come to associate with the Tardis arriving or leaving sounded. As soon as it stopped, Mickey was out the door.

"Mickey!" Rose called after him. He hadn't even stayed to help Vivian up. She looked to where her friend had been laying. She was already up, propped between the railing and the Doctor.

"You okay?" Rose asked.

Vivian nodded and waived rose on, "Go on! You should probably call your mum."

Rose's eyes got wide, and she hurried out of the Tardis, already dialling.

"You're alright then?" The Doctor asked.

Vivian nodded. "I think so. The pain is nearly gone."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow. Atronorphine physoloadram had some serious pain killers in it; however, it quickly wore off once the healing bubbles had done their thing. He was sure she was feeling more pain than she let on. That being said, he wasn't going to argue with her.

She then hesitated for a moment and then began carefully walking towards the Tardis doors. She'd only gotten a few more steps before she grimaced in pain once more and grasped onto the railing.

"I thought so." The Doctor hurried over and took her free arm, relieving her of some of her weight. "That's a Nestene burn. Not even a gallon of atronorphine would kill the pain completely."

She nodded gravely. "What I need is a lie in. Unfortunately, I have to be at work tomorrow."

The Doctor studied her for a moment. "You know, you could come with me. This isn't just some sort of London hopper you know."

Vivian smiled through the pain. "I gathered that."

He stopped her progress. "You could get that lie in."

Vivian laughed, "I get the impression Doctor that this life of yours isn't quite suitable for a person who needs to rest after a leg injury."

"Well there is that; however, its been a long while since I've had a vacation. What do you say?" He looked so hopeful.

She momentarily forgot about the pain and leant a bit more on his arm.

He then prodded, "Sure, you could stay here, go to work, come home, eat chips, watch the telly and then go to bed. Or, you could go with me."

Vivian wanted to say yes. But what about her job? What about her flat? Could she just walk, no, fly off with an alien after just meeting him? She thought of Jean and smiled. She'd really lived for the first time that night. She wanted that feeling once more. She wanted to be free. She studied the man in front of her.

"Very well." She said somewhat hesitantly. "You are a doctor after all. Doctor's orders and all that."

He nodded in agreement. "Doctor's orders." He was obviously pleased. The electric energy she'd come to associate with him returned, and he gave a little bounce. "Well then come along then. Let's see about Rose." He carefully pulled her along, taking up all the weight off her sore leg.

Outside the Tardis, Rose found Mickey, who was cowering behind a broken pallet. "A fat lot of good you were!" She scolded. "What was all that? Vivian was nearly killed!"

"Well, it was that thing's fault." He pointed to the Police Box.

"That _thing_ saved Vivian," Rose told him.

"She wouldn't have been in danger if it weren't for him."

Rose couldn't argue with that.

Both Rose and Mickey were silenced by the sudden appearance of the Doctor. Vivian stood next to him, her body propped up against the door frame.

"Well, that's that! Nestene Consciousness? Easy!" The Doctor rubbed his hands together.

Rose laughed, "Easy? We were nearly killed!" She nodded to her friend, "Vivian was almost killed. You were close to worthless back there. If it weren't for me, we would all be dead." She looked rather pleased with herself.

"Yes. Thanks for that." He gave her a nod.

"Thank you, Rose." Vivian echoed his gratitude.

The Doctor looked about, to Vivian, and then back to Rose. "Right then, we'll be off then, that is… unless you'd like to come with us?"

"Us?" Rose asked. She looked to Vivian. "You're leaving with him?"

"Yeah-"

"NO!" Mickey shouted from his hiding place. "You can't! He's an alien! He's a thing!"

"He's not invited." The Doctor told them.

"You're going?" Rose asked Vivian once more.

Vivian nodded. "I am. I want to-"

"But it's dangerous!" Rose told her.

Vivian nodded.

"And you're still in pain."

"Nothing a little lie in won't fix," Vivian told her.

"And you'll get a lie in travelling with him?" Rose asked sceptically.

"She'll be fine in a day or so." The Doctor assured her.

Rose wasn't convinced.

"Are you coming?" Vivian asked. She could tell Rose wanted to go; however, she also knew why Rose was hesitating.

"I… I can't. I've got to find my mum. You know, see if she is okay and all." She then stepped back and swatted Mickey with her sleeve. "And, someone's got to look after this stupid lump, so-"

"Okay, Well…" The Doctor was clearly disappointed. While Vivian had already agreed, Rose was different, and there was the fact that Rose had indeed saved him, both of them. It wouldn't be the same without Rose.

Vivian took a few steps forward, as though proving she would be okay. The Doctor could tell she was in a lot of pain; however, she did a superb job of hiding it from Rose. "You're sure?" Vivian asked her as she embraced her friend.

Rose nodded. "Yeah. I really do gotta go."

Mickey was now huddling behind Rose, pulling at her arm. "Come on. Just leave them. He's already done something to her!"

Rose rolled her eyes as she gave Vivian one last hug. "Go on."

Vivian gave her a squeeze. "I'll see ya Rose. I'll see ya." She then turned away.

When Vivian and the Doctor reached the doors of the Tardis, Rose called out, "You better bring her back home Doctor! I don't care where in the universe you go; you better bring her back!"

The Doctor nodded. "Sooner than you can imagine," he told her as he shut the doors of the blue police box.

Rose and Mickey watched as the Tardis faded away. Rose hoped the Doctor would keep his promise.


	4. The Maiden Voyage

**Chapter 4 - The Maiden Voyage**

Vivian watched from the captain's chair as the Doctor raced around the centre console. Despite the fact her leg was still very painful, she couldn't help feeling giddy with excitement. After all, the furthest she'd ever been from home was her trip to Paris.

After the wheezing and groaning of the Tardis had ended, the Doctor shot away from the controls and leant against the pillar nearest to her.

"So where would you like to go? Your choice. Anywhere! Earth? The Topaz System? Orion?" He then added, "the planet, not the star." He gave her a grin that rivalled any other she'd seen so far.

He took a step forward and nodded to the right. "What do you say to the future? We could go forward." He nodded to the left. "We could go back. Whatever you want!" He then put his hands up as though he was serving her the universe.

Vivian couldn't help but laugh, "So where are we now? I heard that wheezing and whirling sound. I assume we're no long at the Powell Estate."

"The Time Vortex. Just waiting for your command."

"Time Vortex?"

"Everywhere and nowhere."

The Tardis gave a sudden jerk. Clearly, this was a surprise to him because he hurried over to a monitor. Just as quickly, he turned around and leant back against the console. "She's directing us to Bermuda, thirty-three million years in your past." He grinned.

"She? As in the Tardis? The ship just decided to take us somewhere?"

He nodded. "Yep."

It was then Vivian processed what he had said. Her eyes widened. "Thirty-three million…" She frowned, "Bermuda, as in the island?"

"The Bermuda system actually. They're linked. The Bermuda triangle has hundreds of direct gateways through the time vortex to various planets within the Bermuda system. A group of speculators terraformed your little island, considered making it into a posh resort. The problem was, they ran out of money, and they couldn't get any investors. Not enough interest in Earth back then. Too backwards, not to mention too many sea snakes. They abandoned it. Bad investment."

"Sea snakes?"

"Yep. The North Atlantic was full of them back then."

"So, all that talk about alien spaceship sightings over the Bermuda triangle is true?"

He gave her a nod. "Yep. The Bermuda government sends a maintenance crew through every so often. A few of the gateways are a bit faulty and don't stay closed. Causes all sorts of trouble. It really messes with navigational systems.

"So, I take it the Bermuda System is full of posh resorts?" Vivian asked.

"Yep."

"Should we go there? I mean, I don't have any money."

"No need to worry about that," the Doctor told her. "Got it covered." He patted his pocket.

Vivian wasn't sure how to reply. She supposed the ability to travel to any time and place in the universe could be very lucrative.

"So, what will it be?" He asked her.

"Do a lot of people go on holiday to Bermuda, the Bermuda system?" Vivian asked. She wasn't sure she wanted to go to a crowded resort, even if it was on some distant planet.

"Most popular place to go."

That settled it for her. "Let's try something not so popular. What about that Topaz System? Or Orion?"

The Doctor leant back against the pillar again. "The Topaz System has some very nice ski resorts and beautiful hot springs."

"I don't think I'll be up for skiing and I'd like to stay away from hot liquids for a while."

"True," the Doctor agreed. He then suggested, "Orion might be a good choice… or Oseen Prime. Lovely beaches."

"Oseen?"

The Doctor nodded. "A little planet on the edge of the Varmoona galaxy. Nice little gem that very few appreciate. Long beaches, warm, not hot, soothing sea water, and no sea snakes."

"No sea snakes would be preferable."

He nodded. "It's been years, but I remember they had some really fantastic banana daiquiris."

"Sounds lovely, though I'm not sure about the banana daiquiris."

"Oh…" He smiled and leant towards her, "you'll just have to try them. They're fantastic!"

The Doctor, thrilled at the thought of a nice cold banana daiquiri, pushed off from the pillar to override the Tardis' course. "Oseen it is… and I know just the place."

The Tardis whooshed and grind as she arrived at their destination. Vivian was looking forward to a nice relaxing week of sunbathing on the green sands of Oseen's Bay of Forsta. However, when she opened the doors of the Tardis to get a glimpse of the paradise the Doctor had promised, she was extremely confused. The Tardis had materialised in some sort of storage room filled with boxes and barrels. No green sandy beaches. No four armed cabana boys.

"Hm... Doctor?" Vivian turned back to where he was putting on his jacket. "I… where are we?"

He bounded out of the Tardis and stopped short. He moved towards one of the crates, took a better look at it and then turned to Vivian. "Well, there are no sandy beaches or banana daiquiris; however, we're aboard a very fine luxury line and will no doubt have an enjoyable trip as long as we don't overstay.

Vivian wasn't for sure what to make of this. "A cruise ship?"

He nodded. "One of the finest. Grandest of its time! Said to be unsinkable."

Vivian paled. "The Titanic? We're on the Titanic?"

"Yep." The Doctor looked around and then held out his arms. "Welcome Vivian, to the RMS Titanic, April 8, 1912."

Vivian looked around at all the boxes, barrels, and crates. They would never make it to New York. How could she stay? How could she wonder around the grand ship knowing it would sink into the depths of the North Atlantic? How could she stay there and walk alongside the passengers, knowing most of them were going to die?

The thought was both horrifying and tempting.

She watched the Doctor look around and then turn to her. He didn't seem fazed by the idea that they were on board a doomed ship.

"So, what do you think? Back in and head to Oseen or did you want to have a go?" He nodded towards a set of stairs that she assumed lead out of the storage room.

Her stomach gave a growl, loud enough that even the Doctor heard it.

"Or, we could stop into Southampton first. Get something to eat?" He suggested.

"Yes." Vivian didn't hesitate. She could think about the Titanic later. She then looked down at her clothes. "Though, I'll need to find something to wear."

The Doctor glanced down at her. Her long skirt was in tatters from the Nestene burn, and she wasn't wearing any shoes. One of them had gone down with the shop dummy, and the other had been ruined by the Nestene ooze.

"I think we'll be able to find something."

When the Doctor told her he thought she'd find something to wear, he hadn't been kidding.

"You've got an entire department store here!" Vivian exclaimed as she looked up to the multilevel wardrobe.

He nodded and then pointed towards a landing three flights up. "You'll find something more appropriate up there I think."

Vivian looked at the stairs and grimaced. She was already in a lot of pain, just from walking to this part of the ship, and that was with the Doctor's help. She didn't think she'd make it up three floors.

"Is there a lift?" She asked.

The Doctor had forgotten about her leg. She hadn't complained, and he'd just enjoyed the company of another person. He hated being alone, despite the fact he felt he deserved it.

"No lift here," he guided her to the first step, "but, she does have this." He gave the stair railing a bit of a pat, and the stairs began to rotate, slowly climbing higher and higher.

By the expression on Vivian's face, the Doctor could see she was impressed. "Wait until you see the swimming pool."

"There's a swimming pool?"

"Yep." He bounced on his toes. "Don't use it much myself, but you're welcome to it."

"You'll have to show me. I could just stay and lounge about the Tardis for a lovely little holiday."

The Doctor frowned and shook his head. "That's the problem with you humans. You have the universe just outside your door, but you'd rather just stay at home and watch it on the telly."

"Hey! I'm here, aren't I? You can't blame me for wanting to try out this pool that's supposedly even more amazing that this." She looked all around her.

He nodded. "You'll have plenty of time for swimming about in the pool. It's not always a zip here and a zip there through the Vortex. Could take us two weeks to go back three minutes. Or, three minutes to go back 3,000 years. Just depends on the navigation and the paths through the Time Vortex."

Vivian felt the stair come to a halt and looked about level three. It was lined with rows upon rows of beautiful outfits from the early 1900s. She couldn't help but consider that the only problem she was going to have was narrowing it down to one dress.

She glanced back at him. "What about you? I don't see any men's clothes here."

He frowned and patted down his jacket. "What about me?"

"Aren't you going to change? It's 1912 after all. You might pass as a dock worker, but-"

"I'm not changing." He told her.

She leant against the railing. "And what am I supposed to wear then? If we're going to stick together, we've got to look like we belong together." She gestured to the lovely lady's dresses. None of them was _common_.

He frowned and looked back down at his black leather jacket and maroon jumper. He shook his head and waved her on.

"Go on. I'll meet you downstairs in a bit. Just give the Tardis a bit of a tap, and she'll bring you back down." With that, he hurried down the spiral stairs as though if he stopped, she might try to fit him into one of the dresses.

Vivian shook her head and then turned back to the rows of dresses, shoes, hats, and undergarments. She blushed. She hadn't even thought about undergarments. She briefly wondered if the Doctor bought all these things. She giggled as she remembered his expression when he'd picked up Jackie's lingerie magazine. She then thought about the green beaches of Oceen. What sort of clothes did they wear there? Did they wear regular bathing suits to the beach? What did the people look like? For all she knew they were furry and didn't require wearing any clothing at all.

She nodded to herself. Perhaps having her first adventure, as low-key as it was supposed to be, in 1912 Europe wouldn't be so bad. She was at least familiar with the clothing, having worked in the theatre for the last few years. She eyed a corset that hung in a rather threatening manner nearby. Odd, she was sure it hadn't been there moments before. She sighed. At least it had hooks up the front. The last thing she wanted to do was ask the Doctor to stuff her into a corset.

An hour later found Vivian standing in front of a full-length mirror, turning this way and that. She had to admit the style was very flattering on her, though, she could have done without the corset. She positioned a walking stick in front of her and posed rather primly. Not only was the walking stick functional, especially with her injured leg, but it also suited the outfit.

The Doctor grumbled and looked down at his watch. He didn't really need to look at it to know it had been one hour, thirteen minutes, and sixteen seconds since he left Vivian in the wardrobe. He was a Time Lord after all. It was just one of those human habits he'd picked up over the years. Not to mention, he thought it made him look smart.

He pushed off one of the boxes just outside of the Tardis and began pacing. He hated waiting. He hated standing still. And, waiting for a woman to get dressed was so typical. He rolled his eyes. He glanced across the room to where the stairs led up to the next level of the cruise liner. _Stairs_. "Oh…" He suddenly remembered Vivian's injured leg and the fact that she'd never wondered around the Tardis alone. He'd told her he'd meet her at the foot of the wardrobe. "Damn."

He paused upon entering the Tardis. There she stood in the golden light, dressed in a very attractive dusty rose gown. Her hair was done up, and pretty little curls framed her face. Feminine. She looked distinctly feminine, though he supposed that was only natural. She was female after all.

Vivian frowned when she saw him. "There you are. I waited for you."

He shifted and looked away. "Right. Sorry." He shifted a bit more and then studied her, as though contemplating something.

After a bit, Vivian began feeling uncomfortable. "What's wro-"

"Right. Be back in a sec," He interrupted and then rushed passed her, disappearing into the depths of the Tardis.

Vivian stood there in shock. What was wrong with him?

It was only moments later he returned, dusting off a period hat.

Vivian grinned. "Decided to change then?"

He shifted a bit, plopped the hat on his head and then straightened the lapels of his 1912 men's jacket.

"Thought, might as well. When in Rome, or in Southampton in this case."

"Well, you look handsome," Vivian told him.

"Not too bad yourself… For a human of course."

"What do you mean _for a human_. You look human but aren't. What do the women of your planet look like? Do they look human as well?"

Vivian was sure she saw a slight shadow pass over the man's features before he smiled and shrugged. "Fine. Not too bad for a humanoid female."

Vivian laughed, "Oh… well, that's _so_ much better."

"Right then." He quickly changed the subject. "Dinner."

Vivian's smiled brightened, and her stomach growled in anticipation. "Dinner."


	5. For Medicinal Use Only

**Chapter 5 - For Medicinal Use Only**

The Doctor had just locked the Tardis doors behind them when they heard the door leading out of the storage room open, and the sound of a man's voice float down. Vivian had to hold back a screech when the Doctor pulled her behind a stack of whisky barrels.

"It better be down here Amos, and we gotta be quick. I need that money," a deep rough voice said. His tone was hard and threatening.

"Oh, it is Diggory." Amos' response was younger, less rugged. "George said they loaded it just this morning. It was delivered with a crate of ladies underthings."

There was a round of laughter revealing that at least three men were descending into the cargo room.

"And what would George know of ladies things? Doubt he's ever met a lady." The voice belonged to the third man.

"Never known one myself," Diggory laughed.

"Ya better watch it, or I'll tell yer missus," joked the third man.

All three seemed to find this amusing.

"So what's it supposed to look like?" Diggory asked.

"In a wooden box, a bit of lettering on the side," Amos replied.

"Well, that's not helpful. The damn room's full of them." The third man complained.

This was true; the room was full of brown boxes and crates, all lettered with some direction or another. Some displayed an inventory of their contents; others did not.

"Can't help that Rurik," Amos replied. "All I know is that it's big. Sorta tall from what George said. A plant."

"What would Graves want with a plant?" Amos asked.

"Don't care and don't want to know. The less you know, the better," Diggory replied. "So long as I get my money."

The Doctor peered over the barrels and could just make out a tall, burly man with a black beard and moustache. He guessed this was the man the others had called Diggory. He was looking around, trying to read some of the labels.

"What ya doing?" Rurik asked.

"Trying to see what we've got here," Diggory told him.

Rurik laughed. "You can't read."

Diggory stood up and frowned. "Can too."

"Right. Yer name and yer numbers. That's not going to tell us what box we're looking for."

"Better than you," Diggory argued.

"Got me there."

Just then, as though it was trying to draw attention to itself, a large box in the corner of the room, not far from the Tardis, shifted.

"What was that?" Amos exclaimed as he backed against the wall.

The Doctor could see that Diggory and Rurik had drawn knives.

"Show yourself!" Diggory called out towards the box in the corner.

When nobody appeared from behind the box, the three men moved forward. Amos had drawn his weapon, but he remained just behind the two larger men.

"Get out here!" Rurik threatened. "Get out here, and there won't be any trouble."

They stepped closer to the box.

The Doctor watched as Diggory nodded for Amos to move to the right and for Rurik to the left, blocking whoever was behind the box in the corner.

"I'm warning you." Diggory threatened as he stepped behind the box.

They waited for Diggory to push someone out from the hiding place; however, after a few very silent moments, Rurik called out, "Diggory?"

There was no answer.

Rurik held his knife more tightly in his hand, and his face grew hard. Amos looked worried and glanced around the room. Diggory couldn't have gone any other way. They would have seen him.

"Is there a door back there?" he asked Rurik.

"No."

Vivian shifted so she could look through a crack between two barrels. She watched as the man she assumed to be Rurik stepped around to the back. Nothing. Not a sound.

"Rurik?" Amos called out.

There wasn't an answer.

The Doctor leant close to Vivian. "Stay here. Stay quiet." Vivian wouldn't have done otherwise. He drew out his sonic screwdriver.

Amos stepped away from the box, and his face grew even paler than it had been. "That's enough now. It's not funny." It was evident he thought Diggory and Rurik were playing games with him.

"Hello!" The Doctor said in a cheerful voice as he stepped out from behind the barrels.

Amos let out a youthful scream and nearly dropped his knife. However, he quickly regained his senses and brandished his knife at the Doctor.

The Doctor showed no indication of being affected by the young man's threat. In fact, he ignored Amos completely. His eyes were focused on the box.

"That's more like it," the Doctor said as he bound forward towards the mysterious crate that was the centre of all the trouble. "I love it. Mysterious wooden box." The Doctor paced back and forth in front of it.

Amos watched in astonishment as the Doctor ran his sonic screwdriver around the edges of the front panel of the box.

He then turned to the young man. "A plant, you said?"

Amos backed away, even more, all the while holding out his knife.

Realising Amos wouldn't be of any help, the Doctor turned his attention back to the box. "Apparently valuable."

Amos finally gathered his courage. "Who are you! What have you done with Diggory? What's happened to Rurik!"

The Doctor didn't bother turning around. "No idea."

Amos continued to watch the Doctor pace but jumped back when the man abruptly turned around and headed towards him.

"I'm the Doctor by the way." He held out his hand to the young man.

Amos didn't respond to the offered handshake; however, he did relax slightly, as though the word 'doctor' had some calming effect attached to it. Vivian had learned better. She would never again associate calm with the word doctor.

"Where are they?" Amos demanded weakly.

"Not a clue."

Amos clearly didn't believe him.

"Vivian." The Doctor suddenly called her name, causing her to freeze. "Could you come out for a moment my dear?"

Her first instinct was to stay safely behind the barrels; however, she quickly realised she was alone, and whatever had taken Diggory and Rurik had been behind a crate. She fled her hiding place.

"Ah, yes." The Doctor smiled at her. "Vivian, this is Amos. Amos, this is my wife, Vivian Smith." He gestured to her with his sonic screwdriver.

 _Wife?_ _Smith?_ Vivian wondered what the Doctor was up to.

Upon seeing a woman appear, Amos lowered his knife.

Just as she stepped towards them, the mysterious box in the corner shifted wildly for a moment before returning to silence. Vivian froze and held her breath. Clearly, there was something alive inside that box, and whatever it was, had something to do with the disappearance of Diggory and Rurik.

Amos and the Doctor both raised their weapons to the box, and as though it readied to defend itself, the box burst open revealing hundreds of green vines, shooting in every which way.

"Fantastic! Grantilion Vin Vine!" The Doctor shouted and bounced a bit, a great smile on his face. This wasn't very reassuring to Vivian.

She quickly hurried towards the stairs; however, it seemed the plant had other ideas. Long green tendrils shot out and wrapped around her waist. In seconds she could feel the waxy green leaves covering her entire body. They'd even made their way into her mouth, so the only screams that could be heard were those within her head. The last thing she saw was a magnificent red flower bloom in front of her.

Amos looked on in horror as he watched Mrs Smith disappear into the mass of green vines. "It's killing her!" He cried out and turned to the Doctor. He was shocked to see that the man was smiling, bouncing on his toes as the vines devoured his wife.

"Very nice. Just lovely." The Doctor was clearly mad.

Amos looked around in terror; bright red flowers began to bloom all around the mass of leaves. He started cutting at the green vines, trying to make his way towards the mass that was slowly moving towards the base of the plant. He stopped short when the flowers surrounding them morphed from lovely to deadly. The smooth petals now resembled fatal fans, tipped with twelve-inch needles.

The hand holding the knife fell to Amos' side. He was too frightened and too shocked to do anything. He swayed in the sea of green vines. The only thing holding him up now were the green waves rocking him back and forth. He watched, his eyes glazed over, as the Doctor casually glanced at his watch. The man was also swaying, and Amos was sure the Doctor was humming. He was humming, and his wife had just been devoured by a plant.

"I think that's time enough." The Doctor told Amos.

Amos watched as the other man pulled out the strange torch and pointed it at the sea of green. Immediately the plant ceased moving and drooped, as though it had been deprived of water and then left out in the sun.

Realising the thing was dead, Amos tried to trudge forward to get at the Doctor, his knife extended. "You let it eat her! You good as killed her! You waited to kill it until it finished her off." Amos was furious.

The Doctor ignored the young man's anger and trudged through the wilted vines towards the main stem of the large plant. "I didn't kill it. It's an endangered species. Just put it out of commission for a bit. Too bad. This means next year's flowers won't bloom."

Amos' eyes widened, and he froze. The arm holding the knife fell to his side. "It's not dead?"

"Of course not. It's a felony, carrying no less than 20,000 years in prison, according to Article 333.6(b) of the Shadow Proclamation. I don't know about you, but that's a long time, even for me!"

Amos blinked. _The man had to be insane._ Amos watched in silence as the Doctor began rooting around the bottom of the plant.

"They should be here somewhere."

"They're alive?" Amos couldn't believe it. "They couldn't be. I saw-"

"Of course they're alive." The Doctor told him as he continued to root around. "Why wouldn't they be alive?"

Amos wasn't sure how to answer. He began backing away from the plant, towards the stair leading out of the cargo hold.

"Should be down here." The Doctor said as he wiggled his sonic screwdriver under a bunch of tangled vines. "Here we are." He smiled brilliantly. He pulled aside a large portion of vines to reveal three green and red pods about the size of watermelons. He used his screwdriver to cut the pods from the base of the plant.

Amos stopped on the stair and watched the Doctor place one of the pods on top of a mass of leaves.

"They're in there? In those pods?" Amos asked.

"Yep. Nice and cosy too."

Amos didn't look like he believed him. How could two men, larger than most rugby players, and a fully grown woman fit into three watermelon-sized pods?

"Very efficient plants." The Doctor told him as though Amos had asked the question out loud. "Allows for more patients."

"Patients?"

"Yep. They're the best healers on Grantilion, though their flowers make for some fantastic wine. Hence the 'vin' of the Grantilion vin vine. It's highly regulated, though. Only for medicinal use anymore."

"It heals people?" Amos asked. He hadn't left the safety of the stair.

The Doctor nodded.

Amos stood and stared at the three pods for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually, he slowly made his way back down the stairs and waded through the thick mass of wilted vines. As he neared, he whispered, "Mrs Smith? Diggory? Rurik?"

"They won't hear you." The Doctor startled him. "They're in a very comfortable wine induced sleep. They'll have a bit of a hangover when they wake; however, when that passes, they'll feel better than they've felt in ages."


	6. Hungry Like A Wolf

**Chapter 6 - Hungry Like A Wolf**

 **Inside the Tardis.**

"It's real!" Amos said excitedly. "I knew it had to be real. Just had to be!" The young man chased the Doctor around the centre console. "The War of the Worlds! The First Men in the Moon!"

The Doctor pressed a square green button and then turned to face the young man with a grin. "H.G. Wells."

Amos nodded excitedly.

The Doctor put his hands in his pockets and gave a little bounce. "Brilliant man."

"You know H.G. Wells?" Amos asked.

"Yep. Though, I've never been able to get Bertie on the Tardis. Has his own ideas about time machines." He frowned. "Always said it would staunch his creativity." The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"The Tardis?" Amos asked.

"This." The Doctor gestured to the floor with his hands still in his pockets. "My ship. Time And Relative Dimension in Space."

"This is a time machine?" Amos' voice was just barely a whisper before he blurted, "THE Time Machine!"

The Doctor nodded.

The young man looked around, "It's amazing! Beautiful!"

The Doctor looked pleased. He took a moment to enjoy the excitement the young man was displaying.

"So, it can travel anywhere?" Amos asked.

"Anywhere. Anytime. Anywhere in the universe."

"And you, are you from here? From Earth?" Amos asked slightly hesitantly. "Are you from the future?"

"Nope. Nope. Sometimes."

Amos grinned. "You're and extraterrestrial being! An alien!"

"Yep."

Amos' eyes were wide, and he looked slightly concerned, "But you're good right? You're not going to try to take over the world?"

The Doctor smirked, "Well if I were, I wouldn't tell you. But, if it makes you feel any better, I'm not going to try to take over the world."

Amos looked slightly unnerved by the Doctor's humour, but it soon passed.

"So, Smith isn't your real name then." Amos reasoned.

"No. Just a name I sometimes go by. I'm the Doctor." He held out his hand.

Amos shook it enthusiastically. "Amos, Amos Daniels." The young man's expression then changed to one of confusion. "The Doctor? Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor."

"Oh." Amos thought this was rather odd; however, he didn't dwell on it long, his attention was drawn to the three pods that were still lying on the floor of the Tardis. "So what happens now? With them?"

"We wait."

"Wait for what?"

Amos didn't have to wait, suddenly one of the pods, the largest of the three, began to grow and morph. The outer _rind_ seemed to liquefy, and Amos could just make out the shape of a human. It wasn't long before Diggory's body returned to its natural state, though it was covered with a thin membrane of something clear and jelly-like. Rurik's pod followed.

Both Amos and the Doctor grew slightly concerned when Vivian's pod remained still. The Doctor hurried over to it, gave it a bit of a tap, listened, and let out a sigh of relief.

"There must have been more than her leg that needed healing." The Doctor said more to himself than to Amos.

"I was wondering, why didn't the vine take me?"

"You're young. Probably don't have any obvious injuries or health problems. It's not an incredibly sophisticated plant. It usually just catches the obvious stuff or has to have some direction. No doubt she was thinking about the pain in her leg. The plant's slightly psychic."

Amos' eyebrows rose into his hairline. He looked down at the sleeping woman, "What happened to your wife's leg?"

The Doctor didn't bother correcting him about Vivian but replied. "She had a nasty Nestene burn."

"Nestene? Is that some sort of chemical?"

"No, a living creature. An alien." He then added with a grin, "Now that's one to take over and destroy this little world for you."

Amos paled.

"I was able to heal her skin," The Doctor continued to explain, "however, Nestene burns are extremely difficult to treat. There's only so much that can be done about the internal damage. Not a quick fix. It would have healed perfectly fine in the next day or so. The Grantilion vin vine just sped things up a bit. Rather convenient."

Amos nodded, but then asked, concern evident in his voice. "That Nestene… is it gone?"

The Doctor nodded. "Will be. It hasn't arrived yet."

Amos wasn't for sure what to say to that. He'd rather that the Nestene had been in _his_ past, not just the Doctor's.

Both men looked down when they noticed that Vivian's pod was now beginning to grow and stretch.

"There we are!" The Doctor smiled brilliantly.

Seeing that all three _patients_ had returned to their original state, save the protective membrane, the Doctor turned to Amos, "So where should we drop these two off at?" He gestured to the two large men.

"They've been staying at a boarding house just off Bargeton Road."

"Ah yes. I know the place. Burnes down in 1925; not much of a loss."

The Doctor then went to the controls, flipped a few switches and pulled a yellow toggle. "First stop, Woodmill Housing Project."

 **In a derelict boarding house in Southampton.**

Diggory groaned and tried to sit up. His eyes were blurry, and his head felt like he'd been hit with a mallet. He carefully looked around, and quickly found Rurik slumped over a rickety wooden table, a bottle of wine next to him. _Wine?_ He turned and looked at a small table next to the sagging bed he'd been laying on. Two bottles of wine. He never drank wine. Too expensive, not to mention you had to drink a lot to do any good. He tried to stand, but nearly tripped and fell back onto the bed. He rolled over to see what had almost killed him. Three more empty bottles of wine were lying on the floor. He bent over to pick one up. "Good lord!" He muttered to himself. In the centre of the label was a picture of a red flag with a white star. While he wasn't able to read what the label said, he knew what that flag meant, and he was perfectly capable of reading the date: _April 10, 1912._ It was from the Titanic. Red wine from the Titanic, more than likely to be used at one of the fancy parties celebrating its maiden voyage. Why the hell had they taken wine? He tried to remember what exactly had happened, but the last thing he could recall was trying to read one of those big shipping crates. He looked around the room. Had they found the plant?

He looked to where he'd spotted Rurik. "Rurik!" He grunted. When the other man didn't stir, he called out a bit louder, "Rurik!" He immediately regretted it and covered his head with his hands, as though this might stop the shooting pain running through his skull. After the pain had ebbed, he kicked the bottles out of the way and tried to stand once more. He was expecting more pain, this time from his bad knee. It always hurt when he tried to get up. He was, therefore, surprised that he was able to roll out of bed with relative ease, despite the poor state he was in. As he rose, it felt like his brain had come loose and banged against his skull. He groaned as he shuffled towards the other man.

"Rurik!" He grunted once more before roughly shaking the man's shoulder.

Rurik didn't wake. He didn't even groan. The only reason Diggory knew his accomplice was alive was that the pool of drool on the table moved slightly with each breath Rurik took.

It was then he saw it. The money. Diggory grinned and immediately forgot about the horrible hangover he had. Apparently, they'd found the plant.

 **The Tardis Infirmary.**

"What's that?" Amos asked as the Doctor loaded a syringe with a purple liquid.

"Hydrodullion," the Doctor replied as he took up Vivian's arm. "We'll fix her monster of a headache before she even realises she had one." He inserted the needle into a vein and quickly shot the drug into her system.

Both men watched intently as the tension in Vivian's forehead relaxed, and her mouth softened.

"There." The Doctor explained. He tossed the syringe onto a table and clapped his hands together. "She'll feel like a new woman when she wakes." He then stepped back.

The Doctor's expression became more serious, "Now, I need you to tell me more about Mr Graves and why he's after the Grantilion vin vine."

Amos nodded solemnly, his enthusiasm quickly faded. "I'll be honest Doctor; I don't know much about the man. Father and I worked for him at the factory. Graves Scrap Metal.

"How long have you worked there?" The Doctor asked.

"About a year. Father worked in the office there for years."

"And did your Father know about Grave's little side job for you?"

Amos shifted uneasily. "No. It was from George. George and I pick up the small bits of metal that fall off the belt. Keep the floor clean. His father was good friends with Mr Graves way back when, before Mr Franklin, that's George's father, was killed in an accident at the factory.

The Doctor nodded.

"George knew I was looking for some extra money."

"So Graves, you've never met him then? Didn't speak with him about the plant?" The Doctor asked.

Amos shook his head. "All came through George."

"Graves wanted it done all secret like," Amos explained.

"But you no longer work for Graves Scrap Metal?" The Doctor asked.

Amos shook his head. "No. The final day was yesterday. I've got a new job lined up in New York. Pays twice as much." It was obvious Amos was proud of it.

"Your whole family is going?"

Amos smiled. "Yep. Should be a grand voyage." His cheeks reddened. "I'd hoped to get enough money so that Mama and the girls wouldn't have to go steerage. But they say that all the rooms on the Titanic are just fine. We'll be together."

The Doctor nodded. He kept his face from expressing any emotion. It was likely that the Daniels family would not make it to New York City.

"Do you think your friend George knows why Graves is so interested in this little lady?"

Amos was surprised when the Doctor pulled a small potted plant out of his pocket.

"They're bigger on the inside." The Doctor explained as he dusted some dirt off the pocket of his jacket.

Amos grinned and then nodded at the plant. "Where did you get that one?"

"Same plant. They recover much more quickly after a hard pruning."

Just then, a low groan drew the attention of both men. The Doctor put the plant down on a nearby table and hurried over to Vivian who was waking up.

Vivian stretched like a lazy cat and nearly purred. She felt wonderful and couldn't recall sleeping so well in years.

"Vivian, how do you feel?" A familiar voice startled her.

"Doctor?" She opened her eyes. She was shocked to see not only the Doctor but the young man she recalled as Amos, standing over her. She could tell by the lighting that they had to be in the Tardis.

"How are you feeling?" The Doctor asked again.

Vivian frowned. How did she get back in the Tardis? The last thing she remembered… "Oh!" Vivian's eyes went wide, and she shot up and jumped off the bed and looked around wildly. "That plant! Where's that plant?" Seeing there was no monstrous plant and the fact that both the Doctor and Amos were now just staring at her, she calmed down. Whatever that plant was, it was clearly not here, and she was obviously alive. In fact, she had to admit, aside from the initial fright, she felt fabulous.

"You're just fine now. As for the plant, it's over there." The Doctor nodded to a metal table next to her.

While Vivian hadn't gotten a really good look at it, she knew very well the plant in the cargo hold had been much bigger. "What happened?"

"That's a Grantilion vin vine." The Doctor told her. "Had to be trimmed back a bit."

Vivian nodded, though she didn't really understand how even with a good trimming, a large plant could be reduced to such a small size.

"How's your leg?" The Doctor asked.

"My leg?" Vivian questioned. Had she injured her leg when the plant attacked her?

The Doctor nodded to the leg where she'd been burned by the Nestene.

"It's still…" Vivian paused, realising she was about to tell him it still hurt, after all, he'd said it might take a day or so. She frowned and moved her leg about. Strange. It didn't hurt at all. Her leg felt… "Perfect. I mean, it feels... it's weird. It feels fine. Perfectly fine." She wiggled it around a bit more.

Both the Doctor and Amos grinned.

"Fantastic plants they are." The Doctor said excitedly as he picked up the small plant and examined it.

"That plant?"

He nodded and held it up for her to see. "Yep. The Grantilion vin vine. Even better than a lie-in. Much more efficient."

Vivian's eyes widened. "That plant healed my leg?"

The Doctor nodded.

"What about those two other men?" Vivian asked. "What happened to them, did it heal them somehow?"

Amos nodded eagerly. "Yes, ma'am. We just dropped them off at their place."

Vivian turned to look a the young man. In the light of the Tardis, she could see he was young, maybe 17-years-old at the most. What had he been doing wondering around the cargo ship with those thugs?

Vivian nodded and then looked to the Doctor for answers. "Now tell me, how did that plant heal my leg?"

 **An hour later.**

Vivian was adjusting her hat when the Doctor and Amos returned to the Tardis.

"We've been invited to dinner." The Doctor told her cheerfully.

"Really?" Vivian asked hopefully.

The Doctor nodded. "Being a representative of the London branch of F&H Steel of New York, it was nearly impossible to refuse the invitation made by the mother of one of our future employees."

Amos then added, "Besides, Father's been called back to the factory on some business, there'll be extra food."

Vivian sighed in relief. "Wonderful! I'm starving." She then blushed. "Sorry. It's just I haven't eaten in at least thirty-six hours."

Both the Doctor and Amos looked surprised.

She looked to the Doctor and explained, "Rose's invitation for pizza was interrupted."

The Doctor just gave her a smile and then held out his arm to her. "Shall we Mrs Smith?"

"Of course Mr Smith." She took his arm and then looked to Amos, "Well then, sir. Lead me to the food."

 **A modest bedroom, sparsely furnished.**

"There, there my dear." Mrs Daniels wiped Vivian's forehead with a cool cloth.

Vivian groaned, lurched forward, and then vomited in the bucket that Mrs Daniels was holding for her. _Why?_ She thought to herself. _Why did this have to happen to me?_ She'd been feeling perfectly fine, excellent even, ready to take on the world, or at least a plate full of roast beef, potatoes, and candied carrots. She'd felt fantastic, that was until she took her first bite of Mrs Daniels' beautiful dinner.

After the older woman had helped her wipe up around her mouth, Vivian looked up and glared at the Doctor. "I hate you." She told him.

The Doctor stepped away, moving as far as he could from the settee that Vivian was currently confined to.

"Don't you fret my lovely girl and don't be saying such things. You know very well you don't mean it."

"But I do," Vivian grumbled. She nearly snarled at the man leaning against the wall opposite her. "You're nothing but trouble!" She then began to tear up.

The woman tried to soothe Vivian by gently rubbing her back. "It's perfectly normal and will pass. It will soon be all better."

The Doctor shifted uneasily and glanced to Amos who was standing in the doorway, not sure if he should come any further into the room or not. At this point Mrs. Smith was scarier than that alien vine had been.

Mrs Daniels spotted him and told him, "Why don't you go put the kettle on. I'm sure a nice cup of tea would settle Mrs Smith's stomach just fine."

Amos didn't hesitate and hurried in the direction of the kitchen.

"How far along are you?" She asked Vivian, a knowing look in her eye.

"I'm not-"

"Eight weeks." the Doctor interrupted.

Vivian narrowed her eyes at him.

"Oh, that would be it then. I had it something terrible with my little Anne. Couldn't eat anything but biscuits." Mrs Daniels comforted her.

All three gave a little jump when a loud crash came from the kitchen.

Mrs Daniels grumbled, "That boy…" She shifted away from Vivian and handed her the damp cloth. "I'll be right back." She stood, nodded to the Doctor and then hurried out of the room to see what Amos was getting up to.

Vivian's gaze immediately snapped to the Doctor. "Why did you let her think I was pregnant? Why couldn't I just be sick?"

He shrugged, "Sounded reasonable. Besides, you wouldn't want Mrs Daniels thinking it was her cooking."

"Reasonable? Really?" She said sarcastically. She groaned and then dry heaved over the wooden pail between her legs. When the heaving had stopped, she looked up at him, "You promised green sandy beaches. Banana daiquiris. Dinner. A nice lie-in. Instead, I was eaten by a plant, stuffed into a watermelon, and then poisoned.

"It didn't eat you."

"Well, I feel miserable, I'm hungry, but I can't eat! I still can't hold anything down." She then proceeded to demonstrate.

She wiped her mouth and then continued to complain, "Why couldn't you have given me some aspirin or something? Something normal?"

The Doctor ground his teeth and attempted to remain calm. "Loads of people are allergic to aspirin."

"Your spaceship has amazing technology, can do fantastic things, has a medical bay to rival any hospital in the universe I'm sure, regardless of time, and you couldn't run some sort of test to see if I was allergic to aspirin? Acetaminophen? Anything other than that alien drug-"

"Hydrodullion." He informed her.

" _Hydrodullion_ then." She wrinkled up her nose. "An alien drug that I happen to be one of the very few-"

"The only one ever. There's never been a case of an allergic reaction to Hydrodullion," he corrected.

"Oh, and that's so much better. Supposed to make me feel special? I'm lucky you didn't kill me."

He had to fight not to roll his eyes. Nobody died from an allergic reaction to Hydrodullion.

Vivian continued to nag, "You get me drunk, and according to you and Mrs Daniels, I'm pregnant. You owe me dinner. You owe me dinner for the next three thousand years. I'm starving! I'm famished, and I can't eat a thing." She eyed the toast that Mrs Daniels had brought her earlier. Oh, how she wanted it, oh how she wanted anything. This point she might even consider eating fried fish if she could keep it down.

"Oh Lord!" Another bout of sickness hit her. She shot up from the pillows, leant over the bucket, and vomited once more. Perhaps no fried fish.

After wiping her mouth she looked up at the doctor, her eyes were no longer angry, but full of pain, "How long will this go on?"

The Doctor had a momentary feeling of pity for her. It was apparent that she wasn't cut out for all this, not that he usually poisoned his companions.

The Doctor was startled out of his thoughts when he heard her growl, a rather realistic growl. He watched as she flopped back down into the pillows before glaring at him once more. "I wonder if it would still be considered cannibalism if I chewed your arm off, you're not human after all."

The Doctor took a step further away from her.

"Here we are now."

The Doctor was relieved when Mrs Daniels entered the room with a tea tray, Amos trailing behind her carrying a plate of biscuits.

The older woman busied herself pouring tea and then took a biscuit from the plate. "Here," she held the biscuit out to Vivian. "Try one of these."

Vivian gratefully took the biscuit. To her relief, and the relief of the Doctor, she was able to keep it down.

"See. Just the thing." Mrs Daniels smiled.

 **Twenty minutes later.**

"I'm sorry," Vivian told the Doctor after Mrs Daniels had left them alone once more.

The Doctor thought it best not to reply. He had a headache and Time Lords rarely got headaches outside of regeneration. He was doing everything he could not to head back to the Tardis and leave her in 1912. She'd been a terror for the last hour, and there were other things he needed to be doing. Things had been far too domestic for his taste.

"I really am." She continued to apologise. "I shouldn't have been so horrible. I'm not usually… anyway, thank you."

He nodded curtly. The tension in his body relaxed as he examined Vivian's face. He'd just drop her back off at the Powell Estate. Leaving her in 1912 was just a bit too harsh.

"You couldn't have known about the Hydrodullion," Vivian continued, "and I _am_ better. Much better. Even my scars are gone."

 _Scars?_ The Doctor didn't recall her having scars.

"As frightening, as strange as that plant is, it's rather amazing." She gave him a weak smile and then patted the top of the plant that was now sitting on the nightstand next to her.

He wasn't sure how to respond. Despite the fact he'd decided not to leave Vivian in 1912, he was still upset with her. How could she have been so ungrateful? Even now, he doubted she realised how rare such an experience was.

 _Rare,_ he thought. How had a Grantilion vin vine made it's way to Earth? Grantilion was in the Z4S galaxy, and it took a significantly long time to get to Earth without at Tardis. Besides, it was illegal to transfer the plant out of the Z4S system without prior approval from the Grantilion Ecosyt Convention, and he doubted very much any permission would have been granted for the plant to be transported to Earth. He'd send out a call. He certainly-

"Doctor?" Vivian interrupted his musings.

"What?" He asked, perhaps a bit more bite to his tone than he had intended. It didn't help that he didn't even bother to look at her.

"Oh." Whatever Vivian was going to say was forgotten and her face paled.

Apparently whatever she had to say meant little to the Doctor because he quickly moved to put on his jacket. "I'm going to find out why Mr. Daniels hasn't returned," he told her. "I've got to figure out where that plant came from and how it got here."

He finally turned to face her. "I'll pick you back up in the morning."

With that, he was gone.

Vivian looked out the window. The night was clear, and the starry sky was beautiful.

Her stomach rolled. This time it had nothing to do with her reaction to the Hydrodullion. This time she felt sick because the Doctor had left her. She had no doubt that when he was ready to leave, he'd take her directly back home. An hour ago she would have been more than pleased. Now, the idea didn't seem so appealing. That being said, she wasn't for sure travelling with the Doctor would be something she could do. That plant had been rather frightening, despite the fact it was a nice alien plant. She supposed there were plenty of not so nice aliens out there as well.

Still, it would have been nice to go to Oceen. She'd even try a banana daiquiri. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine green sand. The closest image she could come up with was the green coloured sugar sprinkles she used for Christmas cookies. Yes, it would have been nice.

She glanced at the potted plant sitting next to her and gave it a comforting pat. "Thank you," she told the plant. She was only momentarily surprised when it wrapped one of its small vines around her finger. She giggled and pulled her finger away. "I really am grateful." She leant over and gave one of its little leaves a kiss, before pulling it onto her lap.

"What's going to happen to you?" She asked the plant. "Will the Doctor take you home? I suppose he will." She petted the plant with her fingertips. She was sure she heard it purr. "He's a good man, isn't he." This wasn't a question. She knew the answer. She remembered what he had said while they were facing that Nestene. She pulled the pot closer to her and hugged it. She giggled once more when it wove a few of its little vines into her hair.

It wasn't long before she fell asleep.

 **Sometime later.**

Vivian was awakened by a loud crash and then a woman's scream. She jumped out of bed in one quick motion and put the plant she'd been holding in her sleep back on the nightstand.

She knew it was Mrs Daniels. It had to be.

Vivian rushed to where her dressing gown was hanging and quickly put it on.

She then heard the sound of the children. They were screaming. She had only met them briefly at dinner, but her heart began pounding with fear.

"Where is it?" She heard a rough voice demand.

"I… I don't know what you're looking for." Vivian heard Mrs Daniels cry.

Vivian looked around the room for anything that she might use as a weapon. Nothing. There wasn't anything she could use.

"Mama! Mama!" Vivian's heart nearly stopped when she heard one of the children cry.

"Where's the Grantilion plant?" The angry voice demanded. Vivian heard a loud crash and then another scream.

"I don't know… I don't know!" Mrs Daniels sounded like she was sobbing.

Knowing there was nothing she could do from here, Vivian quickly picked up the Grantilion plant, opened the window, and jumped.

Upon landing, she hid the plant under a bush. "Stay there," she told it as though it might walk away. For all she knew it might.

She then hurried around the outside of the house until she could see in the window of the parlour. She nearly let out a scream. There they were, three giant aliens, real proper aliens. They were dark black, like onyx, with solid white eyes and long black nails. The shortest one was able to stand erect in the room. The other two had to hunch down. They had to be at least twelve feet tall and exactly what she imagined a demon might look like, though they didn't have pointed tails.

Vivian's heart felt like it might explode, the blood rushing through her body made even her veins hurt. The largest one was holding onto Mrs Daniels by the back of her dress, and she was hanging in the air in front of his face. His mouth was full of dark black pointed teeth that glistened in the lamplight.

The other two were holding what appeared to be guns at the four small children. All four of them were cowering in a corner, grovelling on the floor. Vivian wasn't sure what to do. She didn't have any weapons, not even a sonic screwdriver. At that thought, she looked behind her. The Tardis. There was the Tardis. The Doctor had parked it behind the garden shed, and it was still there. He hadn't taken it when he left. Perhaps there was something she could use in there.

She hurried and pulled on the doors. They were locked. "Please, please," she begged. "Please open!" She cried. She pulled with all her might, but it wouldn't budge.

She hurried to the garden shed and tried to pull on the doors. Perhaps there was a rake or something. Anything. She let out a frustrated growl. It too was locked. It was then she saw a toy arrow set that one of the children must have left out. Perhaps she could at least distract them. Get them to follow her. She wouldn't, couldn't, let the children be harmed. She wasn't sure it would work, but it was something. She had to do something. As an afterthought, she also grabbed a small potted rose plant from a nearby bench and then hurried back to the window.

"Where's your husband?" The giant alien demanded as he shook Mrs Daniels. She looked like she might be choking. "Where's your son?"

"They… they went to the pub." Mrs Daniels cried. "They're not here!"

Vivian tried not to scream when the alien flung Mrs Daniels' body against the wall. Vivian could only hope the kind woman wasn't dead.

"Dispose of them!" The giant alien ordered when the children began screaming and ran to their mother's body. He then started destroying the room, presumably attempting to find the plant.

Before the two aliens could direct their guns to the children, Vivian let the first toy arrow fly, hoping it would hit its mark and draw the monsters' attention to her. It worked. She shot a second, to make sure they saw her at the window, along with the poor rose plant. She then did the only thing she could do.

She ran; the sound of splitting wood, breaking glass, and angry alien voices charging close behind her.


	7. Running from Demons

**Chapter 7 – Running from Demons**

 **Outside the factory.**

"What are the police doing here?" Amos stopped at the edge of the sidewalk. He could just make out his father, a few men from the factory, and two police officers.

"Let's just find out, why don't we." The Doctor didn't hesitate and strode forward, a bit of a bounce in his step.

"Amos?" Mr Daniels noticed his son approaching.

"Good evening Mr Daniels." The Doctor interrupted. He moved forward and held out his hand to the older gentleman, "Detective John Smith. Your son was good enough to escort me here. I've just come down from London." He then looked between the officers who were listening intently. "Though, I can see you're busy. If I may, what's happening here?"

Mr Daniels looked confused. What business would a Detective from London have with him?

It was clear everyone else was wondering the same; however, it was the youngest officer who voiced it, "What business do you have with Mr Daniels?" His tone was rather obstinate.

The Doctor raised his brow at the young officer. "And you are?"

"Officer Lance Roberts." The young officer said importantly.

"The reason for my visit with Mr Daniels is none of your business Officer Roberts."

The young man looked like he might retort; however, the older looking officer put his hand on the younger man's shoulder. He then moved forward and asked the Doctor politely, "Pardon Detective Smith, but I'm sure you'll understand if I ask to see your identification."

The Doctor didn't hesitate and handed the man his psychic paper. The Officer looked down at the paper, and he quickly drew himself up and informed the Doctor, "There's been a death sir. We found the body of Mr Simon Graves."

Amos gasped. "Mr Graves is dead?"

"Looks as though he's been dead for a while." The officer explained. "More than a week I'd say." He then looked to the Doctor and held out his hand. "Officer Martin Brown sir."

The Doctor shook the man's hand, "Is there-"

"But we just saw him yesterday!" Amos' interrupted. He turned to his father, "Isn't that right father?"

Mr Daniels nodded. The other men from the factory were also nodding their heads.

"Does Mr Graves have any brothers? Is there a twin?" The Doctor asked, though he already suspected there was no twin involved.

Mr Daniels shook his head. "No, sir. Not that we know of."

The Doctor then looked to Officer Brown, "If it's no trouble, I'd like to see where he was found."

Officer Brown nodded and then gestured for them to follow. As they walked, Officer Brown explained, "They found Mr Graves in one of the basement storage rooms under some rubble. Looks as though he went down to check on the damage to the foundation. They found it a few weeks ago. It was Mr Matthews, the building inspector, that found him. He hadn't been able to get over here until today. There was some problem at the old church."

Officer Brown shook his head and grimaced. "Didn't take the coroner to tell us that the man's body had been down there for quite a while Detective Smith."

As Officer Brown guided them down a set of stairs, Amos looked around at the walls lining the stair, as though he though the walls might fall around them. In just over a whisper, he asked, "Is it safe to go down?"

"Perfectly safe." Officer Brown confirmed. "Mr Mathews' crew arrived this afternoon to reinforce everything."

While this was slightly reassuring, it was evident everyone was taking extra care.

 **A creepy graveyard.**

"I can't believe this!" Vivian said through gasping breaths as she pressed herself against a large monument. Its cool stone was refreshing through the thin layers of her night dress. Despite wearing little more than a dressing gown, she was sweating. She hadn't run so hard since school. No, that wasn't true. She'd never run that hard. Ever. That being said, she was running from demons.

She tried not to breathe too heavily. She knew they couldn't be too far behind her. Their bulk had slowed them down through the densely packed stand of trees she had just exited; however, she knew it wouldn't be long before they appeared. She barely contained a sob, and hot tears ran down her face now. On instinct, she wiped them away with her dirty hands. The dampness came as a surprise to her; she hadn't even realised she'd been crying. Vivian let out a barely audible terrified laugh as she used her dressing gown to wipe the rest of her face. "All I need now is an old abandoned house or some other derelict building," she muttered. Really, it couldn't get any more cliche than that. She'd run through a dark and scary forest and into a cemetery. An old creepy cemetery that looked like it hadn't been maintained in years. She just knew there had to be an abandoned building that she'd be compelled to run for. That was just how it was. It was then she spotted it. A creepy old church.

 **The factory basement.**

"What the… what is that thing?" Officer Roberts screeched as the Doctor whipped out his sonic screwdriver and began running it along the fallen rubble.

"Quite Roberts." Officer Brown gripped the young officer on the shoulder.

"But-"

"I said quiet!"

The young Officer didn't say another word.

"What's it doing?" Amos leant down as the Doctor's sonic screwdriver began fluctuating between red and purple.

The Doctor didn't answer. Instead, he suddenly pocketed the screwdriver and started picking up pieces of broken brick and tossing them into a pile a few feet away?

"You can't do that!" Roberts yelled out. "This is a crime scene!"

"I said shut it." Officer Brown told him.

Without hesitation, Amos joined the Doctor in removing the rubble.

"What are you looking for?" He asked the Doctor.

"There's something under here. My screwdriver was picking up voron energy."

By this time both Mr Daniels and Officer Brown had started assisting the Doctor in moving the bricks.

"Voron energy?" Amos asked.

"Yep."

When the Doctor didn't say anything more, Mr Daniels asked, "What's Voron energy?"

"It's an energy given off by techlar stones, sorta like coal." He drew out his sonic screwdriver once more and then used it to scan along a few of the bricks. "Nope, it's not in the bricks. It's coming from below."

They all continued to toss the bricks until they had uncovered a large hole.

"Fantastic!" The Doctor stood up and smiled. He was nearly bouncing. "Now that's something." Without further ado, he hurried down the ramp of bricks and into the dark hole in the ground.

The Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to light up the dark corridor they were now standing in. It was evident the tunnel had been there for many years and at one point must have run under the factory building.

"You ok down there?" The worried voice of Mr Daniels floated down.

"We're fine. There's an underground pathway!" Amos called up.

Amos watched as the Doctor used his screwdriver to get a better look at the walls.

"Do you see anything?" Amos asked. "What are you looking for?" Amous couldn't figure out why the Doctor was studying the stone of the cave as they explored.

"It's got to be here somewhere. This room is stale. There has to be a door somewhere."

Unable to contain their curiosity, Mr Daniels, and Officer Brown made their way to where the Doctor was running his torch along the walls, the red and purple light pulsating more rapidly.

They all jumped as the Doctor cried out, "Oh yes. This is it. This is interesting." He turned around to face the other men, his eyes glistening with excitement. Seeing that he had their attention, the Doctor whirled around once more and used his sonic screwdriver to light up the wall. He traced it from the floor and into an arch.

"You see it?" The Doctor exclaimed.

"What is it?" Mr Daniels asked.

"Looks like someone's drawn a door," Amos answered.

The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at Amos. "A door. Yes. A door." He once again turned around and traced the dark line forming an arch.

He leant in closer. "Oh, this is good. Oh, this is fantastic. The voron energy levels are extreme! There must be a load of techlar on the other side. Very curious. Fascinating."

"So, how does it work. Is it just a drawing, or is it some sort of magic door?" Officer Roberts asked, a slight sneer in his tone.

The other four men turned, surprised by his sudden appearance.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and let out a laugh. "Oh aren't you a smart one. Magic doors? Magic rings? Magic holes? Magic hula hoops?" The doctor shook his head and gestured to the door. "Just a locked door in need of a key." The Doctor leant forward. "And, the key to opening this door requires the same genetic makeup as the maker. Just a fancy biological lock. No magic."

Then, in a sudden motion, the Doctor gave the door a hard kick, and a few chunks of the rocky wall broke off. He picked up one of the chunks and held it up. "Now, we just need to find what sort of genetic key we need."

With that, he ran passed the men and then back up the ramp of bricks.

 **The creepy church.**

As she neared the doors of the church, Vivian could hear Rose's voice in her head, "Oh don't go in there! You're just going to get killed if you go in there!"

Despite Rose's warning yelling at her from inside her head, she'd rushed through the doors of the church and shut them firmly behind her. After all, if those creatures were demons, perhaps they couldn't enter the church. While she knew it was an unlikely hope, it was at least something. A slight possibility.

She looked around. It was hard to see, and the only light to be had was from the moon. Even then, it was filtered through dirty stained glass windows, giving the room an eerie glow. From what she could see, there had recently been workers here. There were wooden posts angled from the floor to the wall. She was pretty sure that they were there to keep the wall from collapsing. _Lovely_. The thought that the building might come crashing down on her was added to her growing list of fears.

"Vorsh sh nonth?" Vivian froze as a demon voice drifted through the broken stain glass windows. This was accompanied by deep heavy breathing and an answer.

While she didn't understand what the monster had said, she was sure it was asking about her. She clenched her body tightly in fear. Lord, she was thick. It was a guarantee they'd come looking inside. Her eyes darted around looking for somewhere to hide. The room was nearly empty. The only cover were a few old rotted pews in one corner. They certainly wouldn't do her any good. She rushed towards the front of the church and down a hall. She didn't get far. She let out a scream as she felt the stone underneath her feet give way, and she went crashing through the floor.

 **Outside the Daniels' home.**

The Doctor, Mr Daniels, Amos, Officers Brown and Roberts, all stopped short as they came in view of the Daniels family home.

"Elaine!" Mr Daniels gasped and then rushed forward towards the sight before him. He was soon followed by Amos and the Doctor.

When Mrs Daniels heard him, she quickly pulled away from the woman who'd been comforting her, and hurried forward, the blanket falling off her shoulders in her rush to reach her husband.

"Thomas!" Mrs Daniels cried as she fell into his arms.

Mr Daniels was horrified to find his wife was sobbing hysterically. Amos quickly went to his mother's side to see if there was something, anything he could do.

"Good Lord Elaine! What happened?" He held his wife tightly and rocked her. Once she was safely burrowed into his chest, he looked to the porch where their neighbour Mrs Larson stood alongside two officers. He looked back down to his wife and began stroking her back. "What happened Elaine? What's wrong? Is it one of the children?"

She pulled away briefly to reassure him. "No no no no. It's not the children." She then burst into tears once more and buried her face in his chest. They could just make out her muffled voice, "It was all too horrible." She cried a bit more before pulling back and wiping the tears from her face. She looked up at him and looked as though she was going to say something more when she spotted the Doctor. Once again she burst into tears. "Oh! I'm sorry, so sorry." She was nearly hyperventilating now.

The Doctor frowned. _What had happened?_ He looked around. "Where's Vivian?"

This only caused Mrs Daniels to cry harder, and she buried her face in Mr Daniels' chest.

"Are you Dr Smith?" A large, portly officer approached the Doctor.

Officers Brown and Roberts were so occupied with the scene occurring between Mr and Mrs Daniels that they didn't take note of the change from Detective to Doctor.

"Yes." The Doctor replied. He didn't like where this was heading. There was no question that whatever had happened, it had to do with Vivian. He felt his stomach turn. _Had she died from her allergic reaction? Had he killed her?_

"If you could step away with me for a moment?" The officer led him away from the others.

"Sir, I'm afraid to tell you that your wife is missing."

The Doctor relaxed. She wasn't dead. He hadn't killed her.

The Officer frowned at the relieved expression on the Doctor's face.

"Sir? I don't know if you heard me correctly, but it seems your wife may have been kidnapped or pursued by burglars. I'm afraid I wasn't able to get a good description of the men. Mrs Daniels seems to be a bit shaken, and the children appear to have taken up her delusion."

"Delusion?" The Doctor asked.

The Officer nodded. "No doubt brought on by the hard knock to the head she received. She was still unconscious when we arrived."

"What sort of delusion officer?" The Doctor asked again in a sharp tone. He was getting impatient. Vivian was missing, something had happened that was so terrifying that Mrs Daniels was nearly at the point of madness, and he needed to test the sample he had in his pocket.

"She claims demons from hell broke into the house and demanded to be given some plant."

It was then it clicked. Underground tunnel. Techlar stones. Voron energy. The plant. "Tchorlians," the Doctor muttered.

"I'm sorry?" The officer asked.

"Nothing… Hm… What did Mrs Daniels say these demons did with my wife?"

"Well, apparently she drew them away using a toy bow and arrow set."

The Doctor blinked. _A toy bow and arrow set?_

"We found the arrows inside and the bow just outside the window." He pointed towards the back of the house. We've discovered tracks leading into the wood back there." He pointed to a thick stand of trees behind the house.

Without further thought, the Doctor ran. Knowing Tchorlians, there was no time to lose.

 **NOTE: So, what you think of Vivian's first adventure with the Doctor so far? I'd love to read your comments.**


	8. Down Into The Darkness

**Chapter 8 – Down Into The Darkness**

Three sets of glowing white eyes glittered in the night. They hadn't been far behind the human woman and would have caught up with her had they not been waylaid by the tightly packed trees. Even so, they knew very well she had little chance of escape, such a small, weak human. The largest of the creatures sniffed the air towards the cracked glass of the church. He could smell her fear. Even from this distance, he could hear her tiny little human heart beating hard within her chest. He could almost feel the rush of her warm blood in his ears. His tongue ran along the back of his long black teeth. He looked down at his two companions and then nodded towards the church doors. Wicked black grins glittered in the night as they ran towards the church entry. Retrieving the plant would be a victory; however, breaking such a lovely young creature would be quite satisfying.

The door to the church was nothing for the three horrible monsters; its ancient wood shattered like glass as the beasts barged through the door. Both came to a halt in the centre of the room. The human female's fear was thick here, though there was no mistaking that she had carried that fear forward and through a door at the front of the church. It was then they heard it, such a beautiful sound. A scream. A lovely, horrible, cry in the night. In seconds the creatures were once again on the trail.

* * *

Vivian's cry was short-lived; her breath knocked completely from her chest as she fell, the sound of falling rock and earth trailing behind her. There was no air left in her lungs as she felt crumbling stone scrape across her body. She crawled forward into the darkness, complete darkness, in hopes, she would not be buried by the rubble. In truth, she didn't know how she survived the fall. She looked back to where the hole she had crashed through had been; however, it was no longer there, only darkness. When she finally gulped in the musty air, it exploded from her lungs in another sob. She was alive. She'd survived. Her face fell onto the dirty stone floor beneath her. She pressed herself deeper into the cold earth as though it might take away some of the pain, take away some of the fear that was coursing through her body. She was bleeding, and she could feel each and every scrape that had opened up her skin, the salty earth and stone stinging. She relished the feeling. She'd survived. She lifted her head to look ahead of her. Complete darkness. Cold blackness. She shivered before attempting to pull herself from the ground. Her body protested; however, she knew very well she couldn't stay there. The floor she'd fallen through could very well crumble down upon her. She couldn't, she wouldn't give up. There had to be a way out. There just had to be.

* * *

Just above her to angry growls cried into the night. The smallest of the creatures picked up the potted plant that the woman had dropped. He snarled at it and then threw it, watching its pot shatter against the wall. She had tricked them, but she would suffer. She would feel pain. They would find her. There was nowhere for her to go. Behind them, the small rosebush rolled onto the rocky grave, unharmed and still beautiful. Not a petal had fallen.

* * *

The Doctor, followed by Amos and the portly officer, burst through the stand of trees and came to a halt at the edge of the cemetery.

"So very typical. So very Tchorlian," the Doctor said with disgust.

The three men studied the ground. The earth was moist, and the large footprints of the black demons were clear in the matted grass and soft earth.

"Look!" Amos pointed out a bit of dirty white fabric a few feet away, hanging off a bit of metal fencing surrounding a small grave, more than likely belonging to some poor child.

They hurried over. The Doctor pulled the remnant of fabric from the black iron fencing. There was no doubt this was from the dressing gown Vivian had been wearing. He had retrieved it himself from the wardrobe of the Tardis. He studied the ground surrounding the area. Sure enough, the large footprints, mixed with one pair of small prints, had passed this way. He followed the prints with his eyes, towards a large monument. It was then he saw the church. He recalled the officers at the factory mentioning an old church. He'd bet his sonic screwdriver that this was the very one. He rushed forward. It was likely Vivian had headed for the church, and if she'd been caught, it was possible that there would be an entrance to the underground caverns where the Tchorlians would be gathering their cargo. He hated to imagine what they'd find in those caverns. The Doctor could almost smell the stench. He scanned the cemetery. Death would be better than what he would find deep under the earth.

* * *

Vivian felt along the wall. While she wished she could see where she was headed, she was slightly grateful. She was for sure she'd run her hands along what felt might be a row of human skulls. Vivian supposed she might be in an old crypt under the cemetery. It was a reasonable assumption. She shivered at the thought. Not only was she surrounded by the remains embedded in the wall, Vivian couldn't help but think of the graves of so many people overhead. She just hoped this wouldn't become her final resting place.

She wasn't for sure how far she'd travelled, but Vivian knew she'd been down in the cold dark hallway for awhile now. She'd hoped her eyes would adapt to her surroundings; however, she knew it was unlikely due to the deep darkness. Despite knowing this, Vivian was sure she was beginning to see the stone around her. Surely her eyes hadn't adjusted that well. It was far too dark, and there was absolutely no visible light source. It was a grey sort of sickly glow, though she wasn't for sure it could be described as light. It was something different altogether and seemed to only run along the walls of the cavern. She held her hand up in front of her face. The grey light didn't penetrate the darkness in the space around her. Only when she placed her hand upon the wall could she see the outline of her hand. She immediately pulled it back away from the wall and stepped into the centre of the darkness. This was no ordinary crypt, not that she'd ever been in a crypt. This was something different. Something alien. Her heart sped up.

"Oh Lord!" She looked around for anything _normal_ , anything understandable. Other than the darkness there was nothing to comfort her. The strange grey light was everywhere.

* * *

The small group of would-be rescuers looked around the church. There was no sign of Vivian. No evidence of the Tchorlians. The Doctor rushed towards the only exit of the church and came to an abrupt halt before tumbling over a pile of rubble. He knew that there had been a cave-in at the church; however, the small rose plant resting over the mound of the debris and the dust of freshly fallen stone still stirring in the air suggested this pile was new. "No." He whispered, inaudible to the humans around him. His stomach clenched and he felt like he might be sick. "No, no," he repeated as he looked around wildly for any evidence that Vivian was still alive, evidence of the Tchorlians. His anger was building.

It was then he heard them. The Tchorlians. He jumped over the rubble, followed by Amos and the officer. The blood rushed through his body. Anger. Pain. He would have given them a chance. An opportunity to leave, leave Earth and never come back. There would be no chance. No chance at all.

Vivian moved down the corridor lined with the strange glowing stone. She wouldn't touch it, despite the fact it was her only true guide. She had a bad feeling that this grey light could mean nothing good; however, where else could she go. She couldn't turn around. There was nowhere to go behind her. There was only one option, and that was ahead.

She let out a sigh of relief upon turning a hard corner to find that the hallway seemed to be leading up. Up was good. Up meant a possible exit. She picked up her pace and then nearly fell when her foot made contact with what she quickly learned were stairs. She climbed and climbed, sure she would soon see an opening back out into the cemetery, until she came to a solid wall, the hall continuing to the left and the right. Neither looked as though they climbed any higher. She let out a frustrated sigh and turned right. She continued along a series of twists and turns before she felt the hall begin a gradual slope down, down until the next turn where she stopped mid-step, nearly falling down what she assumed was a stair. She immediately turned around and hurried back up the hall to take the other route only to find that a solid wall now blocked her path.

* * *

"No!" She cried out, her voice echoing down the hall. "How?" She questioned the solid wall. The only hint that it might have once been more than a wall was a strange, barely visible arch drawn on the grey glowing stone.

"A door," she breathed out a week breath of defeat. It looked like a doorway made of stone, one that she couldn't see any possible way to get through.

"No!" She cried and banged her already bloodied fists on the hard, cold, sickly grey stone.

"No!" She cried again. She now realised that this was no ordinary crypt. It was a labyrinth. A maze under a cemetery. The three demon-like creatures that had been chasing her probably knew that if she weren't dead, she'd be lost in this horrible dark puzzle. She leant against the wall, no longer caring about the strange grey glow. It mattered little anymore. Vivian turned to look into the darkness that would lead her down. There was nowhere else to go. She took in a deep breath and took the first step down into the darkness.


	9. Let The Games Begin

**Note: This chapter contains some disturbing scenes, and you may want to read it during the day with your light on.**

 **Chapter 9 – Let the Games Begin**

"Where are you going?" The officer asked, his voice coming out in deep gasps as he attempted to trail after the Doctor.

The Doctor ignored him as he ran down the hall and out into the churchyard.

"How can you tell we're even going in the right direction?"

The Doctor couldn't care less if the officer followed. In fact, he'd have preferred it if the man just shoved off. He doubted the officer would be of any use against the Tchorlians, and his noisy pursuit would ruin any element of surprise.

The Doctor came to an abrupt halt before leaving the shadows of a large monument. He could just make out the three creatures standing in front of a large mausoleum. The largest of the Tchorlians drew a knife, sliced it along his finger, and then begin the process of opening a door.

His preference for the officer's disappearance was soon satisfied, though at the cost of any degree of stealth. The man nearly barreled him over upon rounding the corner and then proceeded to deafen him with an ear-piercing scream.

"Demons! Demons from hell!" The officer cried loudly before fleeing in the opposite direction.

While the Doctor was annoyed that the man had alerted the creatures to their approach, he was glad to have him gone.

The scream had indeed alerted the Tchorlians of their presence, and they immediately went on alert, whipping their large heads around, sniffing the air to determine where the noise had originated.

Sensing Amos' presence next to him, the Doctor explained. "They won't be able to see us from this far away."

Amos nodded silently.

"They're nocturnal," the Doctor explained in a whisper, "but they're extremely nearsighted in the darkness. They have to rely heavily on smell, soundwaves and voron energy."

"What are they?" Amos asked as he watched the demon-like creatures move around the area, sniffing the air. It was unnerving that they were slowly moving in their general direction.

"Tchorlians. From Telanmaz system. They thrive from the pain of others. I don't doubt they are the cause of the cave-in. No good can come from with whatever they want with the Grantilion Vin Vine."

"They do look like demons." Amos' voice was full of concern, but he didn't appear to be afraid as he watched the Tchorlians sniffing the air.

The Doctor nodded. "They're not new to Earth, though I've not come across them in years. They're in your myths, your folktales." He frowned and turned to ask Amos, "Has there been any increase in missing persons in the area?"

Amos thought about it. "No… well not really… but…"

"What?" The doctor inquired.

"I overheard Mr Roberts; he's the floor manager for the shift I worked. He was complainin' that some of the new hires that came down from London never showed up at the factory."

The Doctor nodded towards the aliens in the distance. "I bet they had something to do with that. Young. Strong. That's what they seek. To break them down in their little games."

"Games?" Amos asked.

The Doctor nodded. "Games. Dark. Deadly games."

* * *

Vivian could feel the heat building with each step she took down the dark stairs. Down, down, it went, giving her the feeling that she was on a stairway directly to hell. She shivered despite the heat. Her fear was cold, and it only emphasised the hot air around her. Once more she was met with a choice, right or left. She chose right once more, her fingertips trailing along the wall as she went.

The only comfort she had, though it was tainted by uncertainty, was that the sickly grey light seemed to be brighter as she descended. She could just make out the ground and the area around her. There was nothing really to see, other than stone; however, at least her fear of falling into some great pit lessened. Slightly.

The further she descended, she could just make out the sound of what she thought might be water. She'd always associated the sound of running water with peacefulness and harmony. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the water, to let it calm her fear, if only for a moment. She opened her eyes once more and continued to move towards the sound. It wasn't long before she came to another choice. There were three ways she could continue. She looked down ahead of her. If she continued straight, she would descend even further into the hot dark labyrinth's twists, and turns. She glanced to the two side paths. Each travelled forward, no indication as to where they would lead, up or down. It was clear that the sound of the water was coming from the path leading down.

Vivian was just about to make another right when she heard a sound that made her whole body stiffen. _Was that a cry?_ Vivian moved back towards the path leading down and listened more carefully. She wasn't mistaken. It was extremely faint, nearly inaudible, but it was there. Unmistakable. It was the sound of voices, voices in pain. Her body stiffened. Every muscle clenched, including her heart. "Good lord, what's down there?" She whispered to herself. It was then a loud scream cried out, louder than the others. Vivian felt as though an icy hand had reached down her throat and grasped onto her heart. Her breath stilled in her lungs as she tried not to call out in response.

With wild eyes, she glanced to her right and the left. She wanted to flee. It was possible that she might find her way out, though it certainly wasn't a guarantee. She looked back down the dark stairs. She doubted this way led out of the nightmarish cavern. But there were people down there, at least voices that sounded like people, people in pain. More cries called out in the darkness and tears began to fall down her face once more. Her heart felt like it had dropped into her stomach. How could she walk away? How could she run away from such terrible cries?

Vivian glanced once more to the right and then took a deep breath before taking that first step down.

* * *

"Come." The largest of the Tchorlians ordered his two companions towards the door. It was clear that searching out the scream in the night wasn't their priority.

The Tchorlian leader stood in the arch of the large mausoleum. "If she's alive, we'll find her. No doubt she knows where the plant is."

"Come!" The Doctor hurried towards the doorway as soon as the three Tchorlians disappeared. "We've got to reach it before it closes."

"We're going down?" Amos asked. He didn't bother hiding the fear in his voice. "Following them?"

The Doctor nodded. "We've got to try to find… to see if she's still alive. Vivian could be alive." His voice cracked slightly. He then added, "We've got to find out what they want with that plant."

* * *

The sound of the water and the painful cries became louder as Vivian descended into the darkness. She could just make out the pleas for help. From what she saw of the horrible beasts, she doubted whoever was down there, so many voices, would receive mercy.

"Rarrrrrrrrrrrrrr," a powerful roar cut through the cries of the people below, causing Vivian to nearly miss her step and tumble down the stair. A loud hiss followed the terrifying sound, and a wave of heat rushed towards her. It felt as though someone had opened an oven and the hot breeze whipped around her damp hair. She was only slightly startled when the creature let out another cry, this time she was sure there was an echo of pain in its voice. _What's down there?_ She got the impression that whatever monster was making that noise was not one of the black demons she had been running from.

* * *

The Doctor and Amos followed the creatures from a distance, deep into the Tchorlian underground fortress. They didn't dare speak as they travelled, no doubt in such close confines the creatures would be able to hear them.

It wasn't long before they came to a large circular room with fourteen arched stone doors.

"Where did they go?" Amos looked around. "How can we tell which way they went?"

The Doctor hurried to one of the arches and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. He began tracing along the edge of the stone. "If we're lucky, really lucky, we can follow the voron energy." He hurried to the next archway, clearly unsatisfied as to what he'd found. "The walls are coated in techlar dust. It's like air to the Tchorlians. If we can find where the entry is at its higher concentration, it's likely they went through that door." He spun around and gave a quick scan of the room. He then gestured to the two archways he'd just been examining. "These two have a high concentration of voron energy. A Tchorlian passed this way within the last hour." He then hurried around the circumference of the room before stopping before another arch.

Amos could just make out that the strange grey glow emanating from the edge of the archway was slightly brighter than the others. He nodded to the arch, "And that one, that's more recent?" He asked.

The Doctor nodded. He scanned the arch and then moved to the arch that seemed to have an equally sickly glow. "Or, there just happens to be more voron powder. It's probable that the Tchorlians went through one of these two doors. The voron energy is really strong in both directions."

Amos nearly let out a scream when the sound of moving stone drew their attention to one of the archways across from them. In place of the archway, there was now a solid wall, only a dark outline of an arch remained. There was no going that way.

"Well, we'll need to be quick." The Doctor took a quick glance around and then gestured to the door in front of them. "We'll go this way. It won't do any good to stand around here. We'll just get sealed in." As if to emphasise the necessity of getting out, there was another grinding noise and the archway two down from them seared.

Amos didn't need to be prodded any further and hurried after the Doctor.

The pathway away from the domed room quickly began to slope, until dropping into stairs. And, it was clear that a Tchorlian had recently traversed the direction they were heading, and given the growing brightness, the Doctor surmised that several Tchorlians had passed that way in the last few minutes.

Both the Doctor and Amos froze when a loud of painful screams filled the air, followed by a blast of burning air that billowed up the arched hallway. Only moments later a roar of terrible applause echoed.

The Doctor turned to Amos, a look of despair clear upon his face, "They've begun."

In seconds he ran, heading directly into the sound of death.

* * *

Vivian's stomach rolled, and pain began to shoot through her chest at the sight before her. The screaming and the roar of monsters died away as she became transfixed on the man standing before her He was encased in what appeared to be dirty grey crystal, frozen in place, a look of terror captured upon his face. She turned away only to see another along the other wall. She whipped her head around and looked down the walkway. Her breath stilled. The entire length of the corridor was a series of these horrific displays. She turned back to the first man and had to cover her hands over her mouth so not to scream. His eyes moved. His entire body was frozen in place, but his eyes moved. She could no longer hold back the sob that had been building in her chest. She turned away and then fell onto the floor between two cells. She choked on her scream and then retched. She was in hell.

After her breath had returned, she looked up at the glowing grey wall before her. She looked to the side. She could just make out the front of the crystal-like prison. Would they do this to her? She stood on unsteady legs and began to move down the hall, trying not to look to the sides, those eyes, those pain-filled eyes following her path.

She let out a sigh of short-lived relief when she reached a turn in the corridor. The walls of prisoners were behind her. There was nothing she could do. Nothing. The screaming and the roars of the terrifying monsters returned.

"What was I thinking?" Vivian cried softly. "I can't do anything." There was nothing she could do for herself. Nothing she could do for the prisoners behind her.

* * *

"Dothfir! Dothfir!" The Tchorlians chanted, their voices growing louder as the Doctor and Amos neared what appeared to be a balcony.

"What are they saying?" Amos asked.

"Pain and fire," was the Doctor's reply.

The chanting continued until a loud applause broke out once more. Again, a wave of heat consumed the air around them.

Another monstrous roar echoed through the hall. Another wave of heat.

"Tchorlian games," the Doctor told him. "Like ancient gladiator games, but far more brutal."

"What…" Amos' question died upon his lips upon seeing the colour drain from the Doctor's face.

"I know what they want." The Doctor said as though he couldn't believe what he was thinking.

"What?" Amos asked.

"What they want with the Grantillion Vin Vine."

Amos frowned. "For the gladiator games?"

The furrow between his brows deepened. "Something like that." He then stepped forward and onto the dark balcony. They were high above, looking down into a deadly pit.

Amos' eyes widened as he stepped up beside the Doctor. Down below, in a ring of fire, were three men, three young men, who looked near death. All three had clearly been burned like they'd walked through a burning building. Even from up high it was clear one of the men had a broken leg. Yet, if this wasn't horrific enough, there was a great creature with three dragon-like heads, whose body was speared by four long pikes. It was clearly not dead, for, with its next cry, the middle head released an eruption of what appeared to be red and yellow lava. Large globs fell like rain, down upon the three men as they screamed.

"They want to heal their cargo." The Doctor whispered. "Heal their game pieces only to be used again and again. Over. Over and Over."


	10. Choices, Good or Bad

**Chapter 10 - Choices, For the Good or For the Bad**

Vivian crept along the wall of the corridor. A row of cells lined the other side, though this time their occupants were free to move, though limitedly. Her shoulders scraped along the stone behind her in her desire to remain as far away from the creatures as possible. They paced in their cages, seemingly unaware of her presence. She wanted to keep it that way. As she neared the centre of the passageway, one of the monsters, with its three reptilian heads, let out a deafening roar before a jet of bright flames scorched the wall of its cell. Vivian's body shook with fear and her chest burned in an attempt to still the scream building in her lungs. This deadly roar was followed by a much quieter, though still very loud roar mingled with fear and pain. Even in her terror, Vivian's head turned to the source of the noise. She moved down the passageway so she could see what creature would let such an agonising sound mixed with such ferocity. What she saw broke every barrier she had, and she let out a cry, echoing the creature behind bars.

Vivian loved animals. Her father had never let her have a pet growing up, and she'd always been sure she'd get a pet as soon as she got her own place. This was of course before the realities of the cost of rent and putting food on the table became an issue. There was no way she could afford a pet, not even a cat, at this point in her life. Good cat food wasn't cheap; she'd seen that in the market. Then there were vet bills. She refused to accept the responsibility of another living creature without having the means of caring for it. The closest she'd come to having a pet was a stray cat that had once made it into her flat through a broken cat flap while she was out of town. That had been enough to put her off for a short while. Now, seeing the creature, as terrifying as it was, broke her heart. Without any thought to the matter, she stepped away from the wall and leant forward to get a better look. The poor animal lay on the floor of the cell. Clearly, it had been tortured. She took another step closer. Her foot on the stone floor made a scraping sound that drew the creature's attention towards her. It let out a scream, followed by a weak attempt at releasing a burst of fire, as it sought to scoot away from the bars, leaving a trail of blood along the floor. Realising it was terrified, perhaps even more so than she was, she froze. The two terrified creatures eyed each other. Vivian took another, very slow step forward. This time the animal shifted on the floor, but it did not roar. Their eyes remained fixed. She took another step forward.

* * *

Amos' eyes widened at the Doctor's revelation. "Cargo?"

The Doctor nodded solemnly.

"Cargo as in humans?" Amos gestured to the men below.

The Doctor gave a tight nod; his throat clenched so tightly that even with his respiratory bypass his breathing felt strained.

"Those men, the men that didn't show up for work?" Amos asked.

"And others no doubt. Countless others."

The creature below let out a horrific and very painful cry as one of the men, the largest of the three, jumped onto one of the already embedded spears. This was followed by a burst of flame and lava directed at the smallest of the three men, his agonising scream echoing through the halls.

"Dothfir! Dothfir!" The Tchorlians continued their chant.

"We've got to find their source of voron energy. No doubt in one of the halls leading off from this arena."

"The techlar stones?" Amos asked.

The Doctor nodded, "Exactly." The Doctor stood and began inching along the wall until he reached a low wall separating them from the next "box." In a feline-like leap, he jumped over to the other platform and turned to Amos to waive him forward. "There'll be another door leading off here."

Amos followed, and they quickly hurried through the door leading away from the viewing platform.

* * *

"Hello," Vivian said in a quiet voice, nearly a whisper. She took another silent step forward, lowering herself as she went. The creature didn't move from its place in the corner of the cell; however, it sniffed the air with the head to its left. The central head studied her cautiously with its golden eyes, and the right tilted towards her as though seeking to hear her movements more carefully.

"I'm not going to hurt you." She whispered and slowly began to reach out towards the cell.

The creature shifted slightly, though it was clear it was becoming curious, rather than fearful. It sniffed the air once more before a soft jet of smoke exhaled from each of its noses.

The action startled Vivian; however, she continued forward very slowly.

The creature shifted its large heads towards her, though it didn't move from its place on the floor.

Vivian reached the bars of the cage and kneeled down submissively.

Once again the creature sniffed the air, and then all three heads exposed snake-like tongues, flicking back and forth. Vivian didn't doubt this was some other means of investigating her.

In seconds the tongues disappeared back behind their sharp jaws, and it let out a sound so pitiful that Vivian let out another sob.

"What have they done to you?" She cried and leant in closer, exposing her hand just beyond the bars. She knew very well this was a risky move. This was a very dangerous wounded creature. Logically she knew it was stupid; however, something about the wounded animal called to her. "I'm here. I'm not going to hurt you."

The three-headed animal shifted forward once more. It was then Vivian noticed the lower half of its body. She'd been so focused on the heads, so she hadn't expected anything different than reptilian. What she saw before her was more like a large cat, a lion. A large green lion with dangerous looking paws. The fear that she'd been holding transformed into an irrational sort of humour. A cat. A very large cat. The sob that had been slowly building back up in her throat was released in a soft humor-filled cry. Her unhinged brain began to calculate how much cat food such a creature would need.

Her laughter startled the animal slightly; however, after giving the air a bit of a sniff and then flicking its tongues once more, it seemed to calm even further, this time moving its body closer to the bars of the cell.

* * *

As the Doctor guided Amos through the dark maze, he explained in a low voice, "Six thousand years ago the Tchorlians were highly regarded. Their mazes and labyrinth games were known as works of art all over the universe. They were brilliant!" He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and ran it along the wall. "People from all over the universe would come to compete. They were challenging and dangerous; however, they weren't like this. Not like now."

"What happened?" Amos asked. The halls they'd been travelling through were anything but beautiful, and there was nothing remotely brilliant about them other than the fact that their underground fortress seemed nearly impossible to navigate.

"The typical downfall of most cultures: greed and power." The Doctor explained.

Amos nodded.

"They found business was good when there was more violence in the mix." The Doctor scanned along the wall once more. "The voron energy is getting stronger." The Doctor pocketed screwdriver as they headed down a long corridor. He then continued, "People like a good show, a good scare. But, nobody wants to be injured, at least not too terribly. Not even the thrill seekers were all that interested anymore. It wasn't long before things went dark. Really dark."

Without warning, the Doctor paused mid-step, nearly causing Amos to stumble over him.

"Do you hear that?" A light that had been absent in his eyes ever since they entered the cavern system glittered.

Amos shook his head. The only thing he could hear was the roars, screams, and the horrible chanting behind them.

"Water." The Doctor explained. "The source of the voron energy will have to be surrounded by water. Cool water."

Amos tried to listen more carefully; however, he couldn't hear anything that remotely resembled the sound of water.

"That's the key! Large quantities of voron energy radiate heat like mad; however, it's sort of like a car, you have to keep the engine cool. That would be the water."

"There!" Amos hurried after the Doctor who had picked up speed. "I can hear it!"

"It's not far." The Doctor explained. He turned to Amos. "Feel that heat?"

Amos nodded.

"Not far at all." He adjusted a few settings on his sonic screwdriver and then advanced once more towards the sound of the water.

* * *

"Come on," Vivian encouraged the strange creature towards her. "That's it."

It shifted closer, this time more confident in its movement.

"Let me see what they've done." Her gaze drifted to the open wound on its scaly shoulder, just above where it transitioned to matted green fur.

It came closer, slowly closer.

Then with lightning speed, it lunged forward, its centre head striking towards her exposed hand. It happened so quickly that Vivian was shocked to find she'd rolled onto her back, landing in the middle of the corridor.

She looked to where the creature now stood, completely erect, towering above, though still behind the bars of the cell. She glanced to its shoulder and was astonished to see the bloody wound healing before her eyes, shiny new scales growing from the scales just above. In just moments, the only indication there had been an injury was that the new scales were slightly brighter than the surrounding.

It wasn't until she felt something wet drop on her leg that she realised she was bleeding. She had to choke back a scream as she watched the blood run freely from such a small triple piercing.

"It will passsss." A voice hissed softly, almost melodically.

She whipped her head around, expecting some other creature behind her. She was sure the voice had come from behind.

"Passss shortly." It said again. This time it seemed to come from down the hall to her right.

"Quiet beats, ssslowing." To her left.

"It will passsss."

Vivian's eyes widened. There was no doubt this time. It was the creature before her. She sat frozen. What did it mean? Was the beast venomous? Was she going to die?

* * *

"Fantastic!" The Doctor jumped and hurried forward.

Amos hurried to catch up as the Doctor danced around a large circular outcrop of glowing grey and tarnished silver stone.

Amos followed slowly, studying the intricately carved moat that surrounded the jutting rock formation. A deep pool of clear water flowed round and round, cooling the stone.

"That, Amos Daniels," The Doctor nodded enthusiastically at the outcrop of stone, "is the real stuff. Solid. Pure. Techlar."

"What do we do now?" Amos asked.

"Well," The Doctor explained, "the techlar produces voron energy. As essential to the Tchorlians as air is to humans." He smiled brilliantly, "Or Time Lords for that matter." He nodded to the grey stone, "What we need to do is make that air a bit thin."

Amos looked confused.

"First, we need to turn up the heat. Really get it going. Ever heard of oxygen poisoning?"

Amos shook his head.

"For you humans, breathing oxygen at increased pressures for an extended period can cause all sorts of problems. If we heat this baby up," The Doctor nodded to the outcrop and then flicked his fingers through the cold water in the moat, "the Tchorlians will have no choice but to leave. If they don't choke on the initial increase of voron energy, the little energy remaining will be so faint they'll have to head for home."

"And your wife? If they got her, will they harm her if you do something like that?" Amos asked.

The Doctor really hadn't thought about that. He hadn't forgotten about Vivian. No, he still had hope that she was alive. And with that hope, he had to acknowledge that there was a chance the Tchorlians might use her to stop him. But, he didn't have a choice. So many people. He knew the Tchorlians. He had no doubt that there were hundreds of creatures, human or otherwise, stored in this labyrinth. While the Tchorlians wouldn't be able to take all of their captives, there was the possibility that Vivian could be taken. Taken… taken if she wasn't dead. His jaw tightened. Why did it always have to come down to a choice, a choice he had to make. A decision he knew would bring death in some way or another. He was the Oncoming Storm after all. His fear was that Vivian wouldn't survive that storm and it would be his fault. As always. His fault.

* * *

 **Tell me what you think? Obviously, Vivian will survive, it's her story after all. Can you guess what will happen?**

 **What are your particular adventure will soon be coming to a close and then we'll be off to "The End Of The World." Hopefully, Vivian will consider staying on... I'm not sure I'd make it through this adventure and be willing to take another about Rose?**

 **How do you think the Doctor will convince Rose to join him, even if she is reminded he can travel in time?**

 **Thanks for reading, and I look forward to reading your thoughts on the story.**


	11. Warmth Grows as the Air Thins

**Chapter 11 - Warmth Grows as the Air Thins**

Vivian's breathing slowed as she stared at the creature, it's golden eyes so bright, so hypnotising. Breathing. In. Out. In. Out. She wasn't for sure how long she sat there on the hot stone floor before her eyes were drawn to the rise and fall of the creature's breath; it was in tune with her own. In. out. Softly. Slowly. It had passed.

Vivian looked down at her hand. The bleeding seemed to have stopped; however, the blood had formed a sticky red river along the back of her hand. She gazed at it for a moment before using what remained of her dressing gown to wipe it away. In doing so, she revealed three tiny silver pinpricks across the middle of her right hand. She'd been sure, with the amount of blood that had been spilt, that the puncture wound would have been larger. However, in truth, had she not been looking for a sign of an injury, she wouldn't have even noticed the strange three dots. She moved her hand back and forth in the grey light of the corridor. It seemed to disappear entirely depending on the angle she held it.

"Friend of Sssserptrion." A voice to her right startled her from her examination.

"Ssssoft golden friend." From the left.

"Kind blood." From behind.

"Freeee." The creature in front of her seemed to sing in her mind.

She was about to ask what he meant, for something told her _it_ was a _he_ when her focus was suddenly pulled from the strangeness of the creature's communication by the sound of growling laughter and rough jeering. While she couldn't understand what the voices were saying, she knew very well their words were dangerous. Immediately she scooted back into the shadows.

Vivian's heart began to speed once more as she heard the voices growing louder. Nearer. She glanced back at the creature. His gaze hadn't left her. _Serptrion?_ Was that his name? As though in answer to her question she felt a warmth spread through her mind. However, that warmth was quickly ripped away by the sound of a horrific screeching cry, followed by dark laughter. Vivian turned back to the creature, to Serptrion, upon feeling a cold anger radiate through her body. He was angry. He was hurt. She glanced back in the direction of the growing voices. Was it another of his kind?

The ache Vivian had felt upon seeing Serptrion wounded returned. She turned back to him. He stepped back into the shadow of his cell, his golden eyes locked on hers. Her heart beat furiously in her chest; however, her breathing calmed. Softer. Slowly.

* * *

Amos spun around to follow the Doctor as he hurried over to one of the doorways, the only door that Amos had seen so far with any decoration that might have been reminiscent of the Tchorlian's once proud past. He had to admit the carving was quite beautiful, very intricate. He was shocked when the Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to blasted a piece of decorative blocking off the door. A large slab, depicting a rather lovely tree, came crashing to the ground, breaking into larch chunks.

"Come along then. Let's stop the flow of that water," The Doctor ordered as he began picking up large chunks of stone and tossing them in front of where the water was entering the room from a round hole in the wall. When he was satisfied with the work they'd done, he stood back and admired how the techlar stones began to grow brighter.

"You see that?" The Doctor nodded to the large outcrop of techlar, a mad grin on his face. "It's already started." The Doctor bounced around the mound of stone. "Won't take long to get nice and fired up." Then, in one great lunge, he pointed his sonic screwdriver at the wall of the moat and blasted the edge of the small raised river bed. It wasn't long before the water began to run freely over the floor, draining what water remained. Almost instantly the temperature of the room had raised significantly, and a roar of commotion could be heard through the open doorways.

Amos looked at the Doctor with wide eyes. He wasn't reassured by what he saw.

The mad glint in the Doctor's expression outshined the grey glow of the techlar.

"Fantastic!"

* * *

Vivian nearly let out a scream upon seeing six large dark demons dragging a struggling creature along the floor, heavy chains wrapped around its three necks and front paws. Vivian quickly glanced back at Serptrion, as though he had all the answers to the questions running through her mind. Her heart felt like it was breaking upon another painful scream from the creature. _Why?_ She asked as she continued to look into Serptrion's golden eyes. _Who are these horrid creatures?_

In response, Vivian felt Serptrion's anger fade, just slightly. She had to hold back a breath when she felt the ghost of a warm hand, a human hand, take her own in comfort. She knew it was him. It was a touch, not only to comfort her, but to comfort himself. The gesture made Vivian's body relax, and despite being horrified by what was happening down the corridor, she attempted to return a thankful response. He kept his eyes on her.

 _It will passs, s_ he felt his words within her mind. _Passs my golden friend. Freeeee. Heal… golden daughter._

Vivian stared at him and knew immediately what he meant. She could help heal the creature and try to free them from their cages. Her eyes broke from his. Part of her was horrified at the idea. Serptrion's mouth held a snake-like tongue, and his words were like hypnotic songs in her mind. Her doubt was heavy in her chest, but she knew very well she wouldn't leave them. She couldn't. She hadn't been able to turn right. She had followed the path down; the path that led her here. She thought of all those people, with their still bodies and wide moving eyes. She knew very well what she would do. She looked back to Serptrion. He nodded to her. He knew she'd made her choice.


	12. Caught Red Handed

***Once more… a warning… This chapter contains scenes of violence and is rather gruesome. After this chapter, things should lighten up.**

 **Chapter 12 – Caught Red Handed**

"Run!"

The Doctor bounced with excitement and then rushed through the intricately carved archway that he'd blasted with his sonic screwdriver.

Amos didn't hesitate in following after the madman; the angry growls were growing nearer. "How do you know we're going the right way?" He shouted after the Doctor; his breath laboured despite his young age. They'd been rushing down hallways, climbing and nearly tumbling down unevenly cut stone stairs for what seemed like hours.

"I don't!" The Doctor replied hurriedly.

Amos couldn't believe the Doctor's tone. The madman's excitement was only growing.

Moments later, the Doctor stopped abruptly and spun around on the threshold of a stairway leading down.

Amos nearly collided with him.

The man gave a manic grin and shot his arms in the air. "Don't you see!" His eyes flashed with excitement. "It's fantastic!" He spun around once more and flew down the treacherous staircase.

"What's so bloody fantastic?" Amos couldn't see anything fantastic about their current situation. He knew, he just knew the angry voices were getting nearer, and he was sure there were more of them.

The Doctor didn't seem to catch onto the young man's fear or frustration. "The techlar! It's brilliant!" He let out another mad laugh as he turned a sharp corner.

Amos stopped dead upon turning the corner, coming face to face with a stone wall and two hallways leading in opposite directions. There was no sign of the Doctor.

Amos was about to call out, but then the Doctor's head suddenly appeared from around one of the corners.

"Hurry up then!" He nodded to the direction he'd been heading. "Haven't got time to stand around!" The Doctor smiled widely and then disappeared once more.

Upon turning the corner, Amos called out once more, "What's so fantastic?"

"Look around!" The Doctor laughed, waving his arms in the air. "It's brilliant! Just brilliant!"

Amos' eyes widened. How could he have missed it? Missed _this_. All around him, everywhere, the techlar dusted stone glowed vibrantly. It was no longer sickly grey, it was silver, silver and magnificently brilliant.

The young man shook himself from his thoughts as the sound of the growling voices neared. Then, with a renewed sense of excitement, Amos picked up his pace and took the stairs two at a time.

Unfortunately, Amos' enthusiasm came to an abrupt halt upon turning the corner. He nearly fell backwards upon colliding into the Doctor's back.

"Well Hello." The Doctor grinned at five large Tchorlians that were blocking the path. He slowly took a step back, not moving his gaze from the large creatures before him. The Doctor's voice remained very calm as he whispered to Amos, "I think we should have turned left at that last turn."

Amos nodded. Dumbstruck.

The Doctor continued to smile at the Tchorlians; though, he grimaced slightly as their black teeth glistened back at him in the increasing light of the techlar.

"We'll be on our way then!" The Doctor nodded, turned and flew back up the stair.

"Run!" He called out as he pulled Amos with him.

The duo didn't get far. Before the would-be-rescuers even reached the top, six more dark demons stepped into view, the bright techlar forming a deceptive halo around them.

* * *

The wounded animal let out another painful cry, though this one was much weaker than the one before, and died quite quickly. Vivian watched in horror as the body of the creature drooped, hanging from its three heads, as though their necks were nothing more than extensions of the large chains confining it.

The taunting and the jeering only seemed to get worse as one of the demons threw open a cell. The other five flung the now unresponsive creature into the cage, swinging it by the chains.

Seconds later, the sound of the cell door being slammed shut reverberated down the hall. Vivian watched as one of the demons used a blade to slice open its finger, letting out a horrific laugh as he did so. He then pressed the finger against the lock on the door. It was the blood. Vivian glanced to the lock on Serptrion's cell. It was the blood. She'd need blood.

Vivian was startled out of her musings when the walls around her flashed in a bright silvery-gray light. The shadows she'd been hiding in were momentarily lifted, and she was left unprotected. Her eyes went wide and flew back in the direction of the demons. _Had they seen her?_ It was clear that they too were surprised at the sudden flash of light. Hisses could be heard, and flames fired through a number of the cells containing Serptrion's brothers.

Vivian let out a sigh of relief when the dim sickly grey light returned. She kept her eyes on the demons, watching as they spoke in hurried voices.

The light flashed once more nearly causing her to call out. Her heart beat hard in her chest, hoping that she'd go unnoticed.

The demons down the hall remained fixed before the wounded creature's cell; their voices were growing more urgent, and they began gesturing towards the direction from which they had come. She watched as the monsters seemed to come to some conclusion and five of them hurried back through the door. Vivian frowned as she watched the remaining demon pick up what appeared to be a long pike and poked it through the bars of the cage. It gave a disappointed growl when the wounded creature didn't respond. Vivian glanced to Serptrion's cell. She stared at him for a long moment and then back to the demon who looked as though he might leave. He couldn't leave. She needed blood to free everyone.

A though signalling her to act, the bright silvery light flashed once more, and this time it didn't fade.

Vivian stepped into the light.

* * *

"Who are you?" The tallest of the Tchorlians growled as he pushed forward to confront the Doctor and Amos. "Tell me!" He demanded as he pulled out a long black sword and pointed it at the Doctor's throat. The demon's voice was so dark and sinister that it made even the Doctor's skin chill. The Tchorlian sniffed the air and then snarled. "It was you. You were following. You were looking for the human woman."

The Doctor snarled back at the demon, unconcern about the blade at his throat. "Where is she? I will give you this one chance. I wasn't going to do it, but I'll give you this one chance to hand her over unharmed and leave."

There was a round of dark laughter, and then the Tchorlian pressed the point of his sword against the Doctor's skin.

"I give you fair notice and demand, by order of convention 103 of the Shadow Proclamation, article 34(z) to hand over the human woman and all those you have wrongfully held for your _games_. You are in violation of clause (1)(b) of Article 34(z). I demand you leave Earth never to return."

There was a round of laughter before the tallest of the demons growled. "The Shadow Proclamation holds no jurisdiction over the Tchorlian race."

"I demand you release her! This is your only chance!" The Doctor repeated.

The shortest of the Tchorlians stepped forward, his dead white eyes glittering in the grey light. "Stone and bones!" He let out a dark laugh. "The thief is dead, dead under stone and bones!"

All eleven demons broke out in a round of terrible laughter.

The Doctor's body stiffened. The anger that had been boiling within his blood began to resurface, and his stomach turned. Her death, like so many others, weighed down on him.

"Where is the vine?" A demonic voice demanded from behind. The Doctor felt the tip of a blade press into his back.

"You'll never have it." The Doctor told them boldly. He didn't dare tell them he had no idea where it was. That would only mean certain death. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement, so he turned his head, ignoring the pain as the tip of the Tchorlian blade pierced his skin and warm blood trickle down his throat.

A blade was now pointed directly at Amos' chest, just over his heart. If he couldn't do something, if he failed, Amos' life would be one more death he would one day answer for.

"You will tell us, or you will die." The Tchorlian behind him growled as he pushed the tip of the blade into the leather of the Doctor's jacket. The Doctor's first thought was that his beloved jacket would be ruined; however, his thoughts refocused when the dark voice continued, "The boy will die first."

From somewhere behind him, another beast taunted, "Stone and bones! Stone and bones!"

All were startled when the largest demon let out a horrible roar. "Enough!"

There was momentary silence before he spoke once more, his voice a dark growl, "They will join the games!"

There was a round of awful laughter.

"They will live, and they will pay for the techlar. For the plant. They will pay with pain, blood, and lasting fire." The largest Tchorlian joined his brothers in their laughter.

Suddenly all of the blades were pulled back. While this provided some momentary relief. The looming danger of "the games" made the Doctor's hearts beat harder. He'd seen the Linsnarep. There had been Linsnareps, deadly creatures. Death by flames and fire. The long-lasting burning of the Linsnarep would be worse than any sort of end. He doubted even a fully mature Grantillion Vin Vine could sooth such pain.

* * *

Dadelaug exposed his black teeth, and his sharp claws twitched in anticipation at the sight of the small human. His glowing white eyes shined as he sniffed the air. He could smell her fear. Her lovely horrible fear. He could hear her heart. It was beating so fast, so loud, he was surprised he hadn't heard it before.

His tongue ran across his black teeth. Her blood would be so sweet. His claws twitch once more, and he took a slow step forward, enjoying how her heart beat faster. Another step. The beat was harder.

Dadelug's smile grew sharp as the little human stumbled to the side. His dead eyes brightened as she stumbled from him, only to find herself leaning against the bars of a Linsnarep, a Linsnarep who'd been nearly killed by her own kind during the many games that had been in this dark labyrinth over the last six hundred years. While he'd love to break the young thing himself, he had to admit it would be entertaining to see what a Linsnarep would do to her. He paused in his step. He could see that the cell she was leaning against belonged to the Linsnarep they'd used in the games that very day. The creature had been victorious; however, not without serious injury. Dadelug paused, waiting for the attack. The attack didn't come.

Vivian's heart beat faster as she leant against Serptrion's cell. The demon had stopped and looked as though he was waiting for something. She knew what he was waiting for. She could feel the heat emanating from Serptrion. She had no doubt, had Serptrion wished it, she would be dead now. It seemed that the demon was counting on this, waiting for Serptrion's attack, an attack that never came.

Dadelug took another step forward. He supposed the creature might be dead. He wouldn't be surprised. He moved forward once more, his deadly claws clicked at his sides. The woman didn't flinch. She didn't even blink. It seemed that the woman was in such fear, she'd frozen. His claws clicked once more. He could hear her heart pounding, hard, but he couldn't detect any breathing. He sniffed the air once more. "Oh so sweet," he growled. He took another step forward and then… screamed.

Vivian backed away in horror as one Serptrion's long tongues shot out, grabbed the beast by the arm and pulled him towards the cage. In only seconds the demon pulled away; however, he was no longer whole. The Tchorlian looked down at his arm, or where his arm should have been, and let out another deafening scream. This scream was cut short, for, standing just across from him stood the Linsnarep, a fully healed and whole Linsnarep. Strong and full of flame. Unending fire. The Tchorlian's eyes widened. There was no time to scream. Serptrion's centre head let out a ferocious cry, and fierce fire burst through the bars of the cell, directly at the demon. Vivian let out her own scream as she watched the demon run wildly around the hall in pain. When the fire died, the demon continued to cry out as he fled. While he was no longer on fire, Vivian could see the dark welts rising on his skin. She watched him run. She watched him scream. The big black demon had run screaming. Vivian let out her own terrified sob.

Vivian stood there staring at the doorway through which the demon had fled. She wasn't able to move. She hadn't moved. She felt frozen. Frozen until she felt a nudge on her arm. Her eyes widened in horror as Serptrion dropped a large black arm onto the floor at her feet, much like a dog might do when returning a stick. Vivian looked back up into the centre set of golden eyes, another scream lodged in her throat. Serptrion wasn't a dog. He wasn't a cat. She had no idea what he was. He was dangerous. He was deadly. She looked down at the arm. She could take up the arm. She could run. She could flee and go free the men with their still bodies and moving eyes. Once more she had a choice. A decision that could mean life or death. She looked down at the arm and slowly picked it up, blood coating her hand. She let out a sob as she felt it. It was warm. That demon's blood was warm. She shivered. Tears were once again falling freely down her face. She'd had a choice. She'd chosen to go right, she'd chosen to go down. She looked up to Serptrion and then to the lock. She made her choice. She used her wet hand and ran it over the lock. She'd made her choice and the lock released.

 _Freeee._ Serptrion's hypnotic voice hissed in her mind. _Freeee._

 ***So... I'd love to hear what you have to say. What do you think as we're getting closer to the end of this adventure?**


	13. The Reunion

*****I'd hoped to wrap this adventure up in one chapter; however, it just didn't work for me. More than likely it will be one more chapter before we make it back to the Powell Estate.**

 **Chapter 13 – The Reunion**

Vivian was nearly knocked to the floor when the door to Serptrion's cell flung open. Her eyes grew wide as the great creature stepped into the hall; his long necks moved and stretched as though he'd been cramp for far too long. Vivian was sure he looked larger than he had while he was in the cell. He then let out a roar from all three of his dragon-like mouths, the centre expelling flame as it did so.

At that moment, Vivian was sure she had made the wrong choice. Her mind told her to run, run as fast as she could; however, her body was frozen.

Serptrion gave another roar, and his brothers returned his call. Flames burst from all of the cages, many scorching the wall on the other side of the corridor.

Vivian's lungs could no longer hold her breath, and she let a choking sob. It was then Serptrion looked down at her. He lifted his heads and let out a frightening hiss; however, this had the opposite effect on his brothers. In seconds the hall was quieted, the only sounds remaining were Vivian's heart beating hard inside her chest and her laboured breathing.

 _Ssssoftly. Sssslowly,_ Serptrion soothed in his hypnotic voice. _No Fear. No harm golden daughter, sister, friend._

Vivian let out a long breath; though, her body momentarily tensed once more as Serptrion's central head lowered and pushed his cheek against her own, like a cold hairless cat.

 _Linssssnarep friend._ His tongue flicked at her hair. _Golden daughter._

She jumped when she felt Serptrion's right head nudge at the back of the hand he had bitten.

 _Blood sister._

Vivian's breathing evened.

 _Freeeee._

Vivian blinked. "Free," she murmured. She then looked up to Serptrion. "That's what you are? Your people? Linsn… Linsnarep?"

Serptrion let out a hiss, which Vivian took for a yes.

She nodded. It was then she realised she had dropped the demon's arm. She looked down and cringed when she saw it. For some reason, picking it up this time was much more difficult.

As Vivian picked up the demon's arm once more, the other Linsnarep began to move about their cells, letting out hisses, flame, and smoke. They were impatient.

Serptrion studied her for a moment and then turned, heading towards the cell holding his beaten brother. When she didn't follow immediately, he turned, and his three heads snaked in the air as though gesturing her to follow.

She followed.

When they reached the cage, Vivian looked up at him and asked, "Could you have not freed yourself?" She had to admit she was slightly confused. Serptrion had gotten the arm. Couldn't he have dripped blood on the lock?

 _Sssskin._ Serptrion hissed inside her mind.

Vivian nodded. As an experiment, Vivian dropped a bit of blood on the lock. Nothing happened. She then used the demon's finger to place the blood on the lock. Nothing happened.

 _Living sssskin,_ Serptrion clarified.

Vivian nodded and then pressed her finger, which was still coated in blood, against the lock. It opened with a click.

Nothing happened. The creature inside didn't move at all. She suddenly felt a wave of pain, not physical pain, more akin to despair. She quickly looked to Serptrion. It was his pain that she was feeling. She watched as he moved into the cage and nudged the other Linsnarep, hoping there was a response. Nothing.

When Serptrion turned to look at her, she was sure his golden eyes were filling with tears. It was such a strange picture, such a ferocious looking creature filled with such grief.

Vivian moved forward and knelt down next to the creature. She put her hand on its body; its golden fur was soft and silky. Warm. It was so strange, Serptrion's face had been so cold, but the body of this Linsnarep was warm. At her touch, she was sure she felt a slight rumble. She drew in a breath, and her eyes flew to Serptrion. "I think he's alive. I can feel something." Vivian leant over and placed her head on the creature's chest. It was a heartbeat. Faint, but it was there. She looked up to Serptrion. "What do I need to do?"

He looked down at her. _Blood ssssister? Gift?_

Vivian looked back to the creature on the ground. "Am I safe."

 _Lasting,_ he replied.

Vivian hesitated. What did he mean by lasting?

Vivian stood at the door to the cell, looking down at the creature. She had thought she would die when Serptrion had bitten her. The pain had been horrible.

 _It will pass._

Vivian's eyes shot up to Serptrion. She studied his golden eyes for a moment, still unsure what to do. It was the sound of angry voices, horrible demon voices, drawing near that forced her decision. She would die if they found her, and she _wanted_ to trust Serptrion. She studied him for a moment longer and then nodded. She quickly knelt down by the enormous creature's central head and whispered, "Let me help you."

She was startled when Serptrion let out a loud roar towards the doorway as the voices grew nearer. Her eyes flew to him as he leapt towards the door. It wasn't until Vivian looked down that she noticed her hand was bleeding once more. She hadn't even felt it. This time the bleeding slowed much more quickly. She glanced down at the Linsnarep before her. He looked like he hadn't even moved.

* * *

The Doctor was roughly shoved into a dark cell, his knees crashing on the stone floor. Amos soon followed him, and then the sound of the metal doors slamming shut, followed by a loud click.

The Doctor growled and then jumped onto his feet. Amos struggled to stand; however, the Doctor was too busy pacing to notice. There was an expression of deep thought on his face. It wasn't until the sound of the demon laughter died out that the Doctor jumped into action once more.

Amos watched the Doctor pull out his sonic screwdriver and crouched down to examine the lock. Hope filled in Amos' chest, whatever that screwdriver was, had been really useful so far. Could it open the metal lock?

The Doctor looked up to Amos. "Bio-deadlock seal." He promptly put his screwdriver between his teeth and began fishing around in his pockets.

"Like the arches?" Amos asked.

"Yuupp," the Doctor responded, his screwdriver still gripped in his teeth.

"Why are you smiling?" Amos asked.

The Doctor pulled the screwdriver from his mouth and stuck it under one of his arms. "Because" he pulled a short black knife from his pocket, "I've got this!"

Amos frowned. "A knife?"

The Doctor's grin widened. "A key!"

"What do you mean a key? I thought you said it was a bio-lock of some sort."

"I did." The Doctor thrust the knife forward towards Amos. "It's a knife, but not just any knife Amos."

Amos studied the knife for a moment and then looked up at the grinning Doctor.

"You gonna pick the lock or something?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes and then gestured to the door. "Pick what?"

Amos looked to the door, "Oh yeah." There wasn't any opening to pick.

"It's a key Amos, a bio-lock key!" He thrust the knife closer to Amos' face so he could have a better look.

Amos' look of confusion blossomed into a hopeful grin. He recognised the knife. It was the knife the big demon had used to cut his finger open back in the graveyard. And there, on one side, was a bit of dried blood.

"Nicked it." The Doctor grinned as though very pleased with himself. "I think there's just enough, if we're very lucky, just enough to weaken the lock. Won't finish the job mind you, but with my Sonic, it'll do the trick." The Doctor thrust the knife at Amos. "Hold that."

Amos took the knife and then asked, his expression made it clear he was slightly confused. "But, couldn't we have just scraped a bit off then? You know, off one of the archways or something?"

The Doctor ignored him. Instead, he spit into his hand and then used his sonic screwdriver on it. "Got to make it inert. My DNA would make it useless."

He then took the blade back from Amos and scraped the blood into the saliva. "There we go, there we go." He used his finger and mixed it about. "Perfect." He then turned to the door and quickly stuck his hand through the bars, and spread part of the mixture over the lock. He grinned at Amos when he heard a grinding click. He stood back up and then in one fluid motion blasted the lock.

The Doctor let out a laugh and jumped when the door to the cell swung open. He nodded to the lock. "Bio-deadlock, easy!"

The Doctor and Amos ran down a brightly lit corridor, "We need to get back to the room with the techlar. No doubt they've unblocked the water flow."

"And you know the way?"

The Doctor grinned, "Excellent memory."

"And if the archways close?"

The Doctor held up his hand that was still covered in a bit of blood. "Just a touch should compromise the locks, and my screwdriver should be able to do the rest."

After blasting through two doorways, the Doctor and Amos came to a halt upon hearing loud screaming. Not long after, a dark figure, who they assumed to be a Tchorlian, rushed passed them, not even noticing the two escapees.

"A Linsnarep," the Doctor muttered.

"What?"

The put his head around the corner, in the direction the demon had fled. "There must be a Linsnarep on the loose."

Amos gulped, if that Tchorlian was running from it, it had to be something horrible. "What's a Linsnarep then?"

"Something we really, really don't want to come face-to-face with one. You saw them in the arena. That three-headed creature."

Amos paled as he recalled the sight of the horrific creature.

Another horrible roar echoed through the halls, this was followed by more.

"I think perhaps there may be more than one." The Doctor muttered.

"Do you think?" Amos said sarcastically. He looked up at the Doctor. "What can we do? What can stop them?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Well, the usual, but their flames travel far and can neutralise almost any type of attack, blaster, laser, sword, anything. It takes a whole group to subdue one, and there are guaranteed casualties. The only way you can get at its body is while it's engaged in throwing flames. Producing fire requires all of its attention. It's when they're most deadly and most vulnerable.

Another round of horrible roars sounded, this time it was much louder, and both the Doctor and Amos could feel the ground shake.

"Not just _more than one_ ," the Doctor told Amos, "Sounds like a herd."

The roars continued to grow moment by moment, and they were soon followed by a wave of heat and the earth trembled once more.

The doorways all around them began closing.

"RUN!" The Doctor yelled and pulled Amos after him, running I the same direction of the fleeing Tchorlian.

* * *

Vivian sat there looking down at the creature before her. She knew it had moved. She knew it had bitten her. The blood on her hand was evidence of that; however, it still appeared lifeless. She looked to its lion's body. She couldn't even detect any breathing. Instinctively she moved her hand forward and touched the golden fur. It was warmer, soft. She left out a sigh of relief when she felt what might have been a purr. She stroked the animal once more before looking up to Serptrion. "He's so-"

Whatever Vivian was going to say was cut short when ten giant monsters burst through the doorway from whence the other demon had fled. Upon seeing Serptrion and Vivan standing in the door of the Linsnarep's cell, the demons let out their own angry roars.

In a flash, Serptrion placed his body between Vivian and the demons.

 _Freeeee,_ he hissed inside her head. _Freeee._

Vivian didn't question it this time, she turned and hurried away, trying to ignore the horrible sound of battle behind her.

Upon opening the first cell, she heard a horrific cry; this one was not the demon. She spun around, and her eyes widened to see Serptrion, a pike sticking in his side. In seconds the creature she just freed, rushed passed her to aid its brother. Vivien spun around and hurried to release another.

It wasn't long before the realised they were no match for the growing number of freed Linsnareps. They fled. She watched as Serptrion followed after them, disappearing from her view. Suddenly her chest felt heavy. Would he be okay? Would she see him again?

As though reminding her of her task, one of Serptrion's brother's let out a roar and for the first time, another spoke to her. _Freee golden daughter, sister of blood. Freee._

She turned and began her task once more.

When the last cage opened, Vivian heard movement towards the front of the hall. Her eyes widened. The Linsnarep who'd been so near death now stood and stretched. It was then she noticed it still had the chains wrapped around its necks. Without through she ran forward, starting it. In doing so, it released a great breath of fire in her direction; however, it seemed to suck in its flame before it hit her. She stood frozen in her place as she watched the creature shift around once more. He then bowed down, and she felt a rush of emotion: shame. She realised he hadn't meant to harm her. It kept its heads down and began to lower its body.

 _Forgive,_ Vivian heard. _Forgive._

Vivian studied him for a moment and then asked, "What is your name?"

 _Drgnaklon._

"Drgnaklon," Vivian repeated. "I forgive you. Be careful."

It finally lifted its heads and his golden eyes shined.

 _Freee._ It moved its necks in a snake-like way.

Vivian nodded and moved forward. She used the blood to unlock the chains around its neck. After the chains had been removed, she asked, "Will you help me? I need to free my people, but I can't do it alone."

She was surprised when he shook his central head.

 _Not ssssafe for Linsnarep. Not ssssafe men._

"What do you mean."

He didn't respond immediately; however, she was suddenly flooded with images of human men, hundreds of human men, attacking his people. Vivian's eyes widened. In return, the creatures would fight for their lives.

She wanted to deny the idea that the men in those prisons wouldn't do harm; however, she couldn't know for sure. They'd be in fear. Who knew how they'd react?

"They're safe? For now?" She asked.

 _Yessss._

She nodded. "But you'll take me with you? Don't leave me here."

Drgnaklon hesitated.

Vivian sighed and rolled her eyes. "You men are all alike, three-headed Linsnarep, man or alien. I've been through enough, and I don't fancy being left down here alone when those things might come back."

 _Very well._ Drgnaklon knelt down.

"You want me to get on your back?"

 _Human sister is slow._

Vivian wanted to retort; however, she was tired, bloodied, and bruised. "Okay, you're right."

Drgnaklon nodded as though pleased and gestured to his back.

She crawled up his back and then asked, "I'm not going to hurt you right?" She firmly gripped tufts of the fur just below where his neck turned to scales.

 _Not likely. Hold on._

It was her turn to scream. Drgnaklon was fast. Very fast.

* * *

"He's running in the direction of the Techlar!" The Doctor said excitedly.

Amos was far too concerned with the fact that the monstrous growls and bursts of heat were growing nearer and nearer to care about the techlar stones.

"This mess has got to be causing all sorts of havoc." He let out a laugh. "Those idiots were keeping a herd of Linsnarep, not just one or two. Oh… they're bound to be really, really angry."

This didn't help calm Amos one bit.

"Ah, here we are." The Doctor came to an abrupt halt and looked through a doorway. They were back at the techlar room. The Doctor strode over and used his sonic screwdriver to blast another hole in the moat, and the water quickly began to drain onto the floor. "They'll be too busy with those Linsnarep to do anything about this." He looked quite pleased with himself.

The Doctor's smug expression faltered when a group of ten Tchorlians passed by the door and in the direction the other had gone. They didn't even bother to notice the two men or the destroyed moat. The Doctor looked around the corner and was terrified at what he saw. An entire herd of Linsnarep was chasing after the fleeing demons. The Doctor looked around. They couldn't stay there. "RUN!"

It wasn't long before the Doctor realised, "We're being herded!

And, herded they were. In moments, The Doctor, Amos, and well over a hundred Tchorlians found themselves gathered in the centre of the arena. One by one giant Linsnarep appeared, surrounding the entire perimeter of the arena.

The great three-headed monsters roared, releasing bursts of flame into the air, and as though to emphasised the brightness of the Linsnarep flame, the techlar all around them dimmed significantly.

The Doctor grew excited. "It worked!" In response, the Tchorlian standing next to him let out a great groan, and his white eyes roll back in its head before he passed out!

"What's happening?" Amos looked to the Doctor as another Tchorlian collapsed.

"We've burnt up all their energy!"

"So, they're going to die?" Amos asked as the Tchorlian's began coughing and trying to regulate their breathing.

"Oh no… not for a long while. I don't doubt they'll all go into hibernation though. Harmless as kittens at that point." The Doctor looked pleased.

"But what about them then?" Amos nodded towards the Linsnarep who'd now become their primary source of light.

"Oh!" The Doctor's glee vanished. "Unfortunately," the Doctor replied, "lack of techlar energy won't do a thing to the Linsnarep.

* * *

Serptrion waited and watched until the young human and the older humanoid were the only two left standing. He let out a hiss of admiration. The dark humanoid was clever and had made things so very easy. He hissed once more drawing the attention of the clever one.

The Doctor stood tall and stepped towards the tallest of all the Linsnarep. "I seek an audience with the representative of the Great Tri-lord of Linsnar."

Serptrion let out a hiss, and his brothers stepped back and released another roaring flame.

The Doctor didn't flinch. He nodded to Serptrion as the chosen representative. "I address you under peaceful contract according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation."

Serptrion let out a hiss and spoke, the sound of his voice, had there been a texture to it, would have felt like silk. "The Sssshadow Proclamation has no jurisdiction over ussss."

The Doctor was about to reply when Serptrion let out a roar, spewing flames in the air.

When his flames had died, Serptrion added, "though, I will listen to your peaceful contract."

The Doctor blinked. He honestly hadn't expected that. "I bid you no harm, we have come in search-"

The Doctor's words were cut short, but this time it was by an ear-piercing scream accompanied by a roar. He knew that scream. It was Vivian! His eyes darted to Serptrion. "What have you-" He wasn't able to finish his accusation.

"Slow down! Slow down you… you… you!" Vivian cried as she came barreling through the guard of Linsnarep, riding astride Drgnaklon. Her grip was wound tightly in his fur, and she used the other to give him a good angry whack. She let out another scream when Drgnaklon came to an abrupt halt at Serptrion's side. She would have fallen off if it weren't for Serptrion's long fluffy lion tale grabbing her around the waist and setting her to right.

It took her a moment to notice the Time Lord and Amos standing in a sea of demons. "YOU!" She slid down off of Drgnaklon's back and pointed a threatening finger at him. "I hate you!" She cried. "You're horrible!" She stomped towards the Doctor.

The Doctor and Amos' eyes widened as she rushed forward. The Doctor noticed for the first time that Vivian had very long nails, bloody nails. He backed up as she approached, nearly tripping over one of the Tchorlians that still lay passed out on the ground. He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable slap. He was therefore surprised when it didn't come. Instead, he felt Vivian's arms latch onto him, and she sobbed. "I hate you… I hate you." He felt as though a slap might have hurt less.

From beside him, the Doctor heard Amos chuckle and to add to his frustration; he was sure there was amusement in the round of hissing that was now circulating the arena.

He let out a sigh and pulled her to him in comfort. It was the least he could do.


	14. Goodbyes

**Chapter 14 – Goodbyes**

The Doctor tried to ignore the loud purr coming from the other side of the console room. Had he not needed the assistance of the great beasts, he'd never have let them onto the Tardis. Suppressing the memories of over seven hundred men was far too challenging, even for a Time Lord. That being said, two powerful Linsnarep could complete the task rather efficiently. The Doctor, therefore, found himself demoted to a bus driver, hopping through time, delivering the former prisoners to their respective lives.

"So those men, the men who never showed up at the factory, they're dead?" Amos asked.

The Doctor nodded gravely as he flipped a few switches.

Another loud purr reverberated off the Tardis walls. The Doctor rolled his eyes. Had he not known better, he'd have believed the creature, who was currently stretched out on its back, it's large dangerous paws kneading the air, had Vivian under some sort of mind control.

"You do know he's not a cat," The Doctor told Vivian as he set the coordinates for September 1, 1835.

"Of course," Vivian agreed as she reached over to draw a large brush down the giant beast's belly. "But if you had all this hair you'd like a good brushing too," Vivian told him.

The Doctor had to admit having someone brush his hair would be quite nice, and for the first time in his regeneration, he wished he had more hair. It was then another thought occurred to him, and his brow narrowed. He turned to look at the Linsnarep sprawled across the floor. "You better not have any fleas. I don't want the Tardis to get an infestation."

Serptrion didn't bother acknowledging the Time Lord. Instead, he stretched out even more and leant into the brush. He made sure to purr extra loudly.

The Doctor rolled his eyes once more as he felt the smugness rolling off the Linsnarep in waves.

"Where's your other scale and fur covered friend?" the Doctor asked Vivian.

"Sleeping. He was exhausted after that group from Germany," Vivian told the Doctor.

"Drgnaklon isssss young, hissss mind isn't used to this much exertion," Serptrion hissed. "He'll be fine by the time we return to the sssship."

"How do you fly a ship?" Vivian asked. She was curious how a creature with giant paws could pilot a spaceship, especially one made to be piloted by the Tchorlians.

"The mind issss a powerful thing sisssster."

"You pilot it with your mind?" Vivian asked.

Serptrion nodded all three of his heads.

"So, you can move things too? With your mind, I mean?"

As though to demonstrate, Vivian felt the brush, which had paused in mid stroke, move to finish its path.

"But! But! Why couldn't you use that to escape?" Vivian asked.

"It was the techlar stone." The Doctor told her, not wanting to be left out of the conversation.

"What? Sorta like kryptonite for Superman or something?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yep."

"Ssssuperman? What is a Ssssuperman?" Serptrion hissed as he used his mind to nudge the brush a bit more, as though to remind Vivian over her task.

"Oh!" Vivian resumed her brushing and then explained, "He's a character in our human comic books and movies."

Serptrion looked up at her, his serpent-like eyes, narrowing. "You think Linsnarep comical?"

"Oh, no! It's not funny. Comic books aren't always funny. He's a human hero, well, he's actually an alien, an alien hero to the human race. The kryptonite is his weakness. Makes him weaker than a human around it."

"And Lois." The Doctor added. "Can't forget Lois Lane."

"I don't think she's a weakness," Vivian pouted.

The Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"Well… okay… I suppose you could look at it that way." Vivian shrugged.

"Who is Loissss?" Serptrion asked.

"His girlfriend," Vivian told him.

"A female friend of his kind?"

"Oh, no. She's human. Just human," she explained.

"Like you sisssster. You are Serptrion's girlfriend."

Vivian blushed. "Oh! No! It's a bit different than that." Vivian heard soft chuckles from where the Doctor and Amos were standing at the console. She narrowed her brow at them and then explained, "No, a girlfriend is a more _romantic_ sort of friend. You know, eventually, get married, have kids, and all that."

"Mate. Loissss is a human mate to this Ssssuperman." Septrion now understood. He suddenly rolled over to give her access to his back.

"Well yes. I suppose so." Vivian nodded as she began brushing the mane bordering between the scales and the fur.

"I ssssee," was all Serptrion's response. "But ssssister is not 'just'. Golden ssssister. Blood ssssister is very sssspecial."

"That is very sweet of you Serptrion," Vivian told the creature who was now laid flat out on the floor of the Tardis.

She received a purr in response.

"So, should I expect to say farewell to you when we return to Southampton? What should I tell Rose?" The Doctor asked as he leant against the doorframe leading to the kitchen.

"What?" Vivian turned from her task pouring herself some tea to face the Time Lord. "Why?"

"Well," the Doctor drawled, though it was clear he was straining to keep a straight face. "It seems our friend Serptrion has taken a fancy to you."

Vivian's eyes widened, "What! No! He's a… he's a…"

"Alien?" The Doctor smirked.

Vivian rolled her eyes and returned to making her tea. "It has nothing to do with him being an alien. While he's rather sweet he's... too well you know what I mean. He isn't human-like."

"Oh, I don't know… plenty of couples work through all sorts of difficulties."

"You're nutters."

He laughed. "I suppose you're right. Not the sort of bloke you could take home."

The Doctor realised immediately he'd said something wrong when her face paled and she began putting the tea things away rather forcefully.

"Vivian?" He said softly. "I'm sorry. Have I said something wrong?"

Vivian closed her eyes and then turned to him. "It's not you, Doctor… it's just… let's just forget it." She gave him a half-hearted smile and then pushed a bit to make it brighter. "Besides, if I do run off with an alien, I think I'd prefer humanoid at the very least."

"So, you're not against dating an alien then?" He asked.

"Well, I… I suppose not. I guess it would just depend on the bloke." She laughed. "You're not fishing for a date, are you?"

"Nope." He said quickly and crossed his arms in front of him. "Don't do domestic."

"I see." Vivian turned to hid the smirk from her lips and took a sip of her tea.

"Well, I don't think I'll be scoping out any men, alien or otherwise, in the near future. I'm a bit off on the idea at the moment, but for…" She blushed thinking of Jean. Instead of considering the thought any further, she turned and picked up the teapot. "Would you like some tea?"

The Doctor stepped into the kitchen. "That'd be lovely. Thankyou."

Just as Vivian began to relax, the doctor prompted, "But for…?"

Vivian sighed and turned to hand him his tea. "There was this bloke… this man I met in Paris. Anyway… it's silly."

The Doctor was now curious; however, before he could inquire any further, Amos came bounding in. "The last group has been sent off… so we're headed back to Southampton then?"

"Yep. Time to get those flea carrying creatures-"

"They don't have fleas," Vivian scolded.

"Time to get those oversized lizard-cats off my Tardis." He nodded to Amos, "And you back home. You sure you don't want to stay on?"

Amos nodded. "Dad's gonna stay and help set the factory to rights."

"So, you're stayin' then? Not heading off to America?" The Doctor asked. He briefly glanced at Vivian who was now standing behind the young man. It was evident she was pleased with this news.

"Mum's too upset," Amos explained, "with all that happened, and dad already has a buyer for the tickets. He's getting three times what he paid. We can always go later, mum and the children may not have to go steerage."

The Doctor nodded and took a sip of his tea. He gave Vivian a wink after the young man turned to take a cup from her.

It was then the Doctor noticed something odd about the woman standing across from him. He strode forward, startling her. Vivian's eyes widened, and the Doctor was able to confirm that Vivian's eyes were now brown, brown around the edges of the iris, transitioning into a dark green, before meeting the dark blue that had been there before.

"What?" Vivian blinked and stepped back.

"Your eyes," the Doctor told her. "Your eyes were blue before."

Vivian blinked once more. "Of course they're blue. What do you mean 'were'?"

"Strange," Amos muttered as he leant in to get a look.

Vivian's face paled, and she stepped away even further until she was stopped by the edge of the kitchen counter.

The Doctor's eyes narrowed. Then, as though he had made some sort of decision, he grabbed her by the hand and drug her from the kitchen to the console room where he knew the two Linsnarep would be.

Upon reaching the console room, the Doctor released Vivian's hand, drew out his sonic screwdriver, and then strode forward to the two creatures who were sprawled out on the floor of the Tardis.

The two Linsnarep didn't move but continued to lounge as though resting after Christmas dinner.

"What have you done to her?" The Doctor demanded.

There was no reply, verbally nor mentally.

"What did you do to Vivian when you bit her?" He pointed his screwdriver at Serptrion's centre head.

"Doctor!" Vivian shouted and began forward.

"Stay back Vivian. Stay right there." The Doctor's eyes did not leave Serptrion's face; however, the tone of his voice made Vivian freeze.

"But-"

"Tell me now!" He demanded.

If a Linsnarep could roll his eyes, Serptrion would have.

"We have done nothing to ssssister. Ssssister it well."

"You've done something! Look at her!"

"Blood ssssister is unharmed."

"Blood ssssister. Blood ssssister. What does this mean?"

"Blood ssssister healed my kind. Her blood flows through us all for the end of time."

The Doctor's brows narrowed and then with all the power within him he pressed forward to look into the creature's mind. Somewhere in the distance, he heard Serptrion roar, but the Doctor continued his assault.

Vivian's eyes widened as both Serptrion and Drgnaklon shot up onto all fours and looked as though they were going to attack. However, sensing her fear, both creatures forced themselves to stand down. Serptrion nearly collapsed when the Doctor drew back from his mind.

A rush of emotions crossed the Doctor's face. He stared at Serptrion for a long moment before nodding in apology. "I'm sorry. I… I beg your pardon."

All three of Serptrion's heads bowed in acceptance.

"Something changed her," the Doctor told them. "Look at her eyes."

Serptrion moved forward to get a better look at Vivian. "I ssssee no change."

"Her eyes," the Doctor repeated.

"There is no change," Drgnaklon agreed.

Vivian shifted uneasily.

"There is no change." The Doctor murmured.

"So whatever did this to her happened before she came across you." Amos gestured between the two Linsnarep.

All six heads nodded.

"Nothing hassss changed," Serptrion repeated.

The Doctor frowned at the screen. He'd never seen anything like it.

"It was the Grantilion Vin Vine," He told the group that had gathered around the monitor that consisted of various circle patterns and other strange symbols.

"So what's it done? Am I going to be okay?" Vivian asked, concern in her voice.

The Doctor hesitated a moment, still staring at the screen. "From what I can tell… though it's difficult to determine for sure… you're fine… just… well… there are traces of the Grantillion makeup, though nothing too… nothing harmful." He then turned to her and smiled, "In fact, I would suspect your eyesight will be slightly better. Have you ever injured your eyes?"

Vivian blinked. She hadn't noticed any change in her vision. "Well, yeah… When I was in the accident at the hospital. I couldn't see for nearly two days."

The Doctor frowned, "You were in an accident?"

Vivian nodded. "Yeah, back in 99'. There was an explosion."

"That's probably it. Vision is really hard to repair."

"But I haven't noticed any change," Vivian told him. She rarely wore her glasses, despite needing them for driving and going to the cinema.

"You might not notice at first. Could be a gradual process." He seemed reassured by this new information, so he flicked off the monitor and then gave her a bright toothy smile. "No harm done then!"

 _No harm done? How was she going to explain that her eyes suddenly changed colour?_ "Will my eyes stay this way?"

The Doctor shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Well thanks, you're loads of help."

"You're Welcome!" He then turned and strode towards the door of the med bay. "It's time we are on our way!"

Vivian stood between the Doctor and Amos, watching as groups of incapacitated Tchorlians floated from the old church, towards the mouth of the invisible ship. She turned to Serptrion who stood next to her, supervising the loading. "You said you couldn't use your mind power around the techlar."

"Desssstroyed," Serptrion hissed. "Doctor has desssstroyed the techlar, and the prissssoners will ssssleep."

"And they will be dropped off to be dealt with by the Shadow Proclamation." The Doctor interjected to clarify the agreement they had made before his stint as a bus driver.

Vivian heard Serptrion grumble.

Vivian lifted her hand and stroked his mane. "And he'll take me to visit like he promised." She then looked up at the Doctor. "Right." It wasn't a question.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and nodded. While he didn't want to admit it, he was quite enthused about the idea. He'd never been to Linsnar, in fact, very few had stepped foot on the great jungle planet. It was far too dangerous, and outsiders were rarely welcome.

After the last Tchorlian had been loaded onto the ship, the Doctor turned to Vivian and Amos. "Want to have a look?" He nodded to where the invisible ship was hovering.

Amos nodded eagerly.

"Of course!" Vivian bounced on her toes. "I've never been inside a spaceship!"

The Doctor frowned. "Oi! What do you think the Tardis is then!"

Vivian blushed. "Oh, sorry. I… well she's different. More 'real'. She just doesn't feel like a machine."

The Doctor nodded, mollified by her explanation. He gave her a bright smile. "True!" He winked and then pulled her towards the entrance to the ship.

Vivian glanced behind her to see that both Serptrion and Drgnaklon were following behind.

"It's so… hard looking." Vivian observed as she looked around the flight deck. She supposed it was lovely in its own way.

"What's it made of? Marble or something?" Amos asked.

The Doctor nodded.

Vivian touched one of the walls and shuddered. It was cold and reminded her far too much of a mausoleum. Her eyes then locked onto a giant round orb in the centre of the room. It appeared to float in mid-air. "What's that?"

"That's the console," the Doctor explained as he headed towards it.

Vivian frowned. "Doesn't look like any sort of console to me. Doesn't have any buttons or levers."

He held up his finger, "Ah ha… but it does." He ran his hand along the globe in the shape of an 's'.

Vivian's eyes widened as various veins of marble began to glow and slowly snake together to form all sorts of buttons.

"No levers," Amos mumbled from beside her.

"Well, can't please everyone." The Doctor shrugged.

Vivian reached out towards a large diamond shape button that was now glowing slightly blue.

"No!" The Doctor shouted and pulled her hand back. "Don't touch that one!"

Vivian was horrified, she hadn't actually meant to push the button, it just seemed so hard to resist. "What would it have done?" she said rather shakily.

"Shuts down the hot water," he told her quite seriously. He nodded to her. "You never know when someone's taking a shower on a ship this big. Nobody likes to run out of hot water."

Vivian blinked. "You're kidding me."

"Nope." The Doctor popped his 'p'.

Amos couldn't help but laugh.

Vivian rolled her eyes and then looked around the dark room. "Well, the console is lovely. Does anything else light up like that?"

He nodded to one wall of black marble, seemingly no different than any other wall on the ship.

"Amos, push that button right there." The Doctor pointed to a large round button that glowed with concentric circles. Each ring was flashing in and out at various intervals.

Amos pressed the button.

Vivian was impressed when the surface of one large expanse of wall began to glow and then dissolved. Before them was the cemetery where the ship was hovering.

"It's pretty… but creepy," she told the Doctor. "I like the Tardis better."

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Tchorlian ships are sturdy and well made; however, they're just ships; Cold and empty when there's no one about. Each one is like the other, cookie cutter if you will."

Vivian turned to Serptrion and asked, "So you'll use your mind? But is it activated by hands… or skin like those locks?"

"Heat. Warmth. Pulsssse." Serptrion replied.

Vivian jumped and let out a soft shriek when she felt a hand, a touch, but not a touch, run down the side of her arm.

"Not sssskin." Serptrion explained.

Vivian's eyes went wide.

"What?" Amos stepped up, confused.

"Telekinetic hands," the Doctor whispered and wiggled his fingers at Amos.

"So… so, that's how… that's how you move things?" Vivian asked. "You use your hands… well, mind hands?"

Serptrion's heads slithered in a way giving her the impression she was correct.

"But you… in the caves…" She recalled the touch he had given her. The calming feeling when he took her hand. He'd done that with his mind. He'd been around techlar.

"Concentration," he hissed. "Draining, but needed."

Vivian nodded. She understood, and knew very well she wouldn't be here had he not comforted her then. She'd been too frightened, too afraid to think clearly.

She was pleased when she felt a warm hand take hers and give her a squeeze. It was so strange to see Serptrion standing there across from her, watching her, but at the same time to feel his 'hand' holding hers.

Serptrion's concentration was drawn from her when one of his brothers approached and hissed, announcing that they were ready to depart. Serptrion's touch faded to a more ghost-like presence. It reminded her of the feeling of someone's hand hovering just close enough to feel, but not quite close enough to touch. So wrapped up in the thought, she didn't notice that the other Linsnarep had departed until she felt Serptrion's hand tighten once more around her's before drawing away entirely.

"We must go golden blood ssssister." He told her. "Linsnar is indebted to you, and you will be remembered." He leant forward, and his three heads reached out to run along her face, wiping the tears that she hadn't even known had begun to fall. "When you visit my home, our people will honour you." He then glanced briefly at the Doctor and said as an afterthought, "and the Doctor."

The corner of Vivian's lip twitched. She knew very well Serptrion was baiting the Time Lord.

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Goodbye Serptrion." She hurried forward and wrapped her arms around him in a great hug.

There was a general round of hissing, that Vivian had come to understand as laughter that made her smile. She'd never think of a snake's hiss the same again. "Be safe," she told him.

Serptrion purred, and she felt him nudge her mind. His thoughts flowed through, _Come soon._

She gave him another squeeze and then kissed the side of one of his central head before drawing back.

It was then she saw the great globe in the centre of the room begin to turn and veins of light began to spread throughout the marble-like ship. The ship was about to take off.

Vivian felt a strange sort of tickling sensation and then a feeling of weightlessness.

 _Lasting,_ Serptrion whispered in her mind as the room disappeared.

"I've never liked cemeteries." The Doctor's sombre voice drew her attention to him, and she realised they were standing in the cemetery. Just across the way, the Tardis stood in stark contrast to all dull grey headstones.

The trio stood in the silence of the graveyard for a moment before the Doctor made a quick turn to face them. "Well, shall we?" He gestured to the Tardis. "We've got a Grantillion Vin Vine to pick up and deliver to the Grantillion Ecosyst Convention. "

Both Vivian and Amos nodded tiredly, yawning as they began their short journey to the Tardis.

"Where is it?" The Doctor crouched down on his hands and knees to look under the hedge just below the window Vivian had exited during her escape from the Daniels' house.

"That's where I put it," Vivian told the Doctor. "It was right there." She narrowed her brow and mumbled, "I told it to stay put."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "You set an alien plant down on the ground, in dark, fertile soil, surrounded by thousands of different varieties of vegetation and expected it to stay put?" He jumped up and sighed. He then began to look around the surrounding yard for the runaway plant. "Why?" He mumbled as he searched with his sonic screwdriver. "Why can't anyone just stay put," he complained more to himself than Vivian or Amos. "Tell them not to wonder off what do they do?"

Vivian and Amos looked at each other, shaking their heads at the strange man that had popped into their lives along with his blue box. They both then turned from each other and began their own exploration of the yard.

Nearly twenty minutes later they heard a loud, "Ah ha!" come from behind a large oak tree. Vivian and Amos hurried over to where the Doctor was down on his hands and knees digging up the little plant who'd made itself a little nest within the large twisting roots of the oak.

"Almost seems a shame to pull it up," Vivian told the Doctor. "It looks so cosy. Like that oak had it in an embrace."

"Well, we can't. Who knows what introducing a vin vine would do to the local vegetation."

Vivian supposed that was true. For all she knew it would pass on some alien disease to the other plants, killing off the native species.

The Doctor finished digging up the plant and then handed it to Vivian.

"I told you not to run off," Vivian scolded the plant.

The Time Lord looked down at her in approval. He had to admit she'd taken to interacting with different alien species rather well. He looked on in amusement as the little vines, which had grown surprisingly fast over the course of the last 12 or so hours, began to weave their way around Vivian's arm.

Her eyes widened. "Is it going to try to do something? Is it safe?" She asked the Doctor.

"Should be," he assured her. "It's too small to do any healing and like I said, whatever it did to change your eye colour doesn't seem to have caused you any lasting harm."

Vivian nodded and relaxed. As though sensing her ease, the little plant also ceased it's movement, though it remained fixed around her arm, the occasional leave moving, almost as though it was part of a breath. She got the feeling that it was sleeping.

"Move in a bit closer," the man with the camera waved to the Doctor, urging him to stand closer to Vivian, who stood next to the Daniels' youngest boy. The child was clutching his toy bow and arrow set proudly.

The Doctor grumbled and did as directed.

Amos stood on Vivian's other side, holding the vin vine. While the plant remained still, it was leaning to the side as though reaching out to her.

"That's it, that's perfect," the photographer soothed. Just when they all thought the man might actually take the picture, he once again made adjustments in their positioning. They all stepped down so that the photographer could make sure the steel factory could be seen in the distance.

"Great!" He praised once more. "Now stay still, very still."

"If I'm here any longer I'm going to turn to stone," the Doctor grumbled.

"Really still," the photographer told them once more. "Great!" The photographer suddenly stepped back. "That should be it."

Vivian frowned. "Well that was anticlimactic," she told the Doctor. "I expected some sort of loud flash of light, perhaps smoke."

The Doctor rolled his eyes and then gestured to the sun. It had turned out to be a rather beautiful day.

"So do you think you'll be back?" Amos asked them as he escorted Vivian and the Doctor to the back of the garden shed where the Tardis was parked. They'd already said their good-bye's to the rest of the Daniels family.

The Doctor nodded, "Perhaps we'll stop in sometime for your mother's roast beef."

"I hope she wasn't too offended that we couldn't stay for dinner tonight?" Vivian sought assurance.

"Of course not. As far as mum's concerned, you have to be heading home, being in the family way and all." Amos winked at her. "You'll have to round up some fake baby if you return too soon."

Vivian rolled her eyes. "Not likely."

The Doctor nodded in agreement.

When they reached the Tardis doors, the Doctor turned and smiled proudly at the young man. "Amos Daniels." The Doctor shot his hand out, and the two men shook their hands in friendship.

When they released, Vivian hurried forward and gave the young man a hug. "Stay safe and don't go getting involved in any shady work, regardless of the need for money."

"Of course, _Mrs. Smith_." The corner of Amos' lip lifted.

Vivian backed away, but not before giving him a quick kiss.

They young man blushed.

There was an awkward sort of silence between the trio before the Doctor lifted himself a bit more stiffly and announced, "Best be going." He gestured towards the Tardis doors, guiding Vivian inside.

Vivian gave one last fond look at Amos and then headed in. The Doctor soon followed, closing the doors behind him.

Once the Doctor had set the Tardis in motion, he turned to Vivian and nodded to the vin fine. "After we drop that little guy off, what do you say popping by to see Rose? You know, I don't think I mentioned that the Tardis is a time machine.

Vivian nodded eagerly. It would be nice to travel with Rose. Perhaps they could go to Oseen.

Back in the garden of the Daniels' home, a tiny little green vine poked up from the soil and nestled against the large oak that held it protectively in its arms.


	15. Trouble in the Tardis (Short Interlude)

**Chapter 15 – Trouble in the Tardis (A Short Interlude)**

Vivian smoothed down the lovely green dress that she'd purchased during their short stay on Bromeliad. She had to admit it was rather flattering and complemented the strange tint to her eyes. More importantly, however, was the fact that it was extremely comfortable.

"You sure you want to wear that?"

Vivian jumped at the sound of the Doctor's voice and then turned to see him leaning against the railing of the wardrobe.

"I see… _now_ you come to escort me back to the console room." She stretched out the leg that had been injured. It seemed so very long ago.

The Doctor ignored her comment. "Really though, you've seen what it's like. Are you really going to wear a dress? I mean, not that you don't look nice, but-"

"What's wrong with a dress? I can run just as well in a dress."

"What if you find yourself hanging upside down?" He smirked at her.

"So, you're concerned I'd be showing off my knickers then?" Vivian asked.

"Just saying."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I've already thought of that. She hiked up her skirt, momentarily taking the Time Lord off guard, and showed him the leggings she was wearing underneath.

"We'll I suppose that's better." He nodded in approval. "I can't imagine running around in a dress can be that comfortable."

"Have you ever worn a dress?" She asked.

"Of course not." He answered far too quickly, making her smirk.

"Really, not in all your years?"

"Nope."

"You know if you don't stop you're going to have a nose that balances out your ears."

"Oi! What's wrong with my ears?" he complained.

Vivian smiled at him and decided to stop her teasing. "Not a thing Doctor. I think they fit you quite well."

He preened.

She turned back to face the mirror. "We'll, I've always found dresses much more comfortable. More liberating." She swayed side to side. "Though much more without the leggings."

"Talking about liberation, you do know women spent ages just for the right to wear trousers."

"Wrong."

"What do you mean? I was there."

"You're still wrong," she turned to face him as she began to braid her hair. "It wasn't the right to wear trousers, it had nothing to do with trousers. It's the principle of the matter. Anyway, I've never been fond of wearing trousers. Far too constraining."

"Fine. You're not going to wear heals are you?" He eyed a pile of healed shoes nearby.

"No." She'd learned that lesson already. That being said, she'd found a rather lovely pair of sandals with memory foam. Feminine, but also really comfortable, so long as they didn't end up somewhere in the Artic. She shrugged. If they did go somewhere cold, she'd just stay in the Tardis, maybe test out that pool. She sat down on a nearby trunk and slipped on the sandals she'd found.

The Doctor eyed them sceptically. "Anyway, I just thought I'd come let you know. We'll be leaving the vortex here in a moment, and I'm sure you'll want to be there to greet Rose."

Vivian smiled up at him. "Thanks." She finished latching the sandal she been working and then stood to follow him out. She was impressed when the Doctor offered her his arm.

"Just to make up," he told her.

"Not bad." She gave him a bit of a nudge and then allowed him to lead her out of the wardrobe.

Once they reached the console room, Vivian stood beside the Doctor as he began pushing and pulling levers, directing them to arrive just after they'd left Rose and Mickey.

Vivian looked towards the Tardis doors with an eager smile, it would be good to see Rose again. While only moments had passed for Rose, to Vivian it had been weeks, perhaps even months. Time passed so strangely in the Tardis.

Vivian really had no idea how long she'd been travelling with the Doctor, though she knew they'd stayed on Bromeliad, the largest planet in the Z4S galaxy, for at least two Broman weeks.

When she'd asked about their time on Bromeliad, he'd explained, "Time's a bit tricky, especially with you being human." He'd held up his hand to keep her from arguing with him. "And don't take offence, let's just say, not being a Time Lord, it's best not to worry about it. What's time anyway." He'd then flashed one of his brilliant smiles.

"It's all relative then?" She'd asked, giving him her own smile in return.

He'd nodded and then explained anyway, "We've been here about three and a half of your Earth weeks."

The initial plan had been to drop the vin-vine off at the nearest Ecosyt nursery; however, upon learning that they'd arrived just in time for the annual Bromeliad garden festival, the Doctor had insisted they stay. Who knew that the big leather clad Doctor had a soft spot for garden festivals. Not that she was complaining, those two Broman weeks had been wonderful.

Vivian was glad they had stayed, for a while they were touring an exhibit displaying different varieties of apple grass, they'd been summoned by the Ecosyt's vin-vine expert. Apparently, the plant was suffering from what he called juvenile vine displacement trauma. The poor little thing had grown attached to Vivian, literally, hence the strange change in her eyes.

Earnest Worman, the vin-vine expert, explained, "They're much more sentient than we've previously believed." He'd tried to explain a recent study on the neurological development of juvenile sentient plants; however, even the Doctor had a dazed look about him by the end of the consultation. "In short," the gardener told them, "the poor thing's terrified you're going off and leaving it here."

After the consultation, the Doctor had declared that she was destined to travel across the universe collecting strays.

Vivian had nudged him with her elbow and teased, "Well, someone's got to look after you."

It was clear, they had no choice. The Tardis' garden was now the permanent home to Trouble, Vivian's new name for the plant. "After all," she'd told the Doctor, "It's not like Trouble is anything new on the Tardis."


	16. It's Not the End of the World

**Chapter 16 – It's Not the End of the World (Part 1)**

"Where are we?" Rose's excitement whirled about the Tardis console.

The Doctor gestured towards the Tardis doors, looking rather pleased with himself.

"What's out there?"

The Doctor gestured once more.

Vivian couldn't help but roll her eyes at the expression on his face. She shook her head and gave him a nudge, drawing his attention down to her. "Oh, you think you're so impressive," she teased.

"I am so impressive." He looked affronted.

Vivian laughed, "You wish."

He gave her a slight smile and then they both turned their attention back to Rose, who was bouncing on her toes, still awaiting her answer, though clearly amused at the interaction between the two.

"Well?" Rose asked them, this time her glance settled on Vivian.

"I have no idea." She followed the Doctor's example and gestured towards the doors. "It's your turn."

Rose spun around, hurried down the ramp, and then stopped abruptly before pushing the doors open. She glanced behind her one more time giving Vivian and the Doctor a bright smile, and then pushed through the Tardis doors.

As Rose rushed out, Vivian wished she could have seen her friend's expression upon exiting the Tardis. While Vivian's first experience with time travel had been thrilling, she'd been in too much pain to really appreciate its excitement.

Vivian would have been disappointed, for, as soon as Rose exited the Tardis' doors, her smile fell along with any excitement she'd been feeling. Oh, it was obvious they had moved, and the room did look like some sort of set from a sci-fi movie; however, it just looked so _normal_ , well, a spaceship sort of normal. The room reminded her of a futuristic movie theatre, especially with the built in benches and large panel at the front of the room. There had been a theatre somewhat like this when they'd gone to the air and space museum back in school. They'd watched a documentary about the creation of the Earth.

Rose slowly turned around at the sound of the Tardis doors opening and watched the Doctor step out, followed by Vivian. It was clear Vivian had also expected something different.

"Where…" Rose was about to ask, but the sound of the panel at the front of the room opening drew her attention. What she saw stilled not only her mouth but her very breath.

Rose couldn't tear her eyes from the sight before her. This was indeed a sort of theatre; however, unlike any field trip she'd ever been on, this was not some documentary. On the other side of the glass was Earth. The _actual_ Earth.

"Beautiful," she whispered as she placed her hand on the glass.

"You lot," the Doctor's soft voice reminded Rose of his presence, "you spend all your time thinking about dying, like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive." He nodded towards the Earth below. "This is the year five point five slash apple slash twenty-six. Five billion years in your future."

"But…" Rose asked, clearly confused, "What about… you know, they're always talking about glaciers melting and the pollution, it just looks so _normal_." She turned back to face Earth. "And what about plates and stuff? I thought plates shifted. Yea, I mean it takes hundreds of years but-"

"Millions," the Doctor corrected.

Rose rolled her eyes, "Millions then. It looks all the same."

"It's the Trust. They've shifted them all back. That's a classic Earth."

"Classic Earth?" Vivian asked, some amusement in her tone, "You make it sound like it's some museum piece."

The Doctor shrugged. "The Trust's been keeping it preserved. See down there?" He pointed out a number of satellites that the ladies hadn't noticed. "Gravity satellites holding back the sun."

Vivian frowned. "Holding back the sun… You mean-"

"Hold on," the Doctor interrupted. He looked down at his watch as though verifying something he already knew and then nodded to the Earth. "This is the day the sun expands." Then, as though it had waited for the Doctor's command, the sun, shining brightly above the Earth, flared before turning a dangerous red.

Rose's eyes grew wide, and she looked to the Doctor.

"Welcome to-" the Doctor began.

"The end of the world," Vivian whispered, echoing the Doctor's explanation.

Rose's throat tightened, and she turned to look at Vivian to make sure she was okay. Her eyes fixed on the giant sun that would soon engulf the earth.

Rose looked back down at their home, not quite accepting what had just been said.

"How long," Vivian's soft voice asked as she turned to look up at the Doctor.

He studied her for a moment and then replied, "Fifty-five minutes and thirty-six seconds."

"What!" Rose's eyes snapped to him, a look of horror on her face.

The Doctor merely glanced at her and then looked back at the view.

"So, is that why you chose this place? This time?" She gestured towards the Earth. "You're gonna jump in and save the planet?" Her eyes looked hopeful.

Vivian was positive he had no intention of saving the Earth. It was bound to happen, wasn't it? All things died. Even the sun, even the Earth. IT wasn't like the Doctor was some sort of god.

"I'm not saving it. Time's up." The Doctor confirmed Vivian's thoughts.

"NO!" Rose cried out, drawing Vivian's attention to her. "What about all the people?"

"They're all gone. No one left." The Doctor tried to reassure; however, this didn't help.

Rose's face paled, and she whispered, "It's just us then… isn't it?"

"I'm sure… if we're not there… we left then?" Vivian turned to look up at the Doctor for reassurance.

"Oh yes," he said looking down at them as though they were the most amazing creatures in the universe. "The human race lives on, spreading out across the stars. Amazing you are."

Both young women couldn't help but smile a bit at that, some of their shock and grief dissipating

He glanced down to Vivian, amusement on his face. "Continuously adapting. All those different species, making a go of it, working through all sorts of difficulties."

Vivian rolled her eyes; however, she was mortified when she involuntarily blushed. He was obviously talking about Serptrion.

"What?" Rose questioned, clearly wanting to be let in on whatever amused the Doctor so much. Seeing Vivian blush made her eyes go wide when she realised what the Doctor had implied. "No!" Rose couldn't contain a laugh. "Oh my God!"

Vivian blushed even redder, "Stop it!" She gave Rose a friendly shove and then glared up at the Doctor. "You're an ass."

He just smiled, looking very pleased with himself.

Vivian rolled her eyes and then attempted to glare at Rose; however, in seconds she too burst into laughter.

Both Vivian and Rose paused and listened carefully upon hearing an announcement. _"Shuttles five and six now docking. Guests are reminded that Platform One forbids the use of weapons, teleportation and_ religion _. Earth Death is scheduled for fifteen thirty-nine followed by drinks in the Manchester suite."_

"Oh!" The Doctor's eyes lit up, and he looked to Vivian. "Maybe they'll have banana daiquiris."

"You still on about that? It would serve you right if they don't. Should make you wait until you eventually land us on Oceen."

"We'll, I doubt they'll have any of that Bromeliad sangria. A good thing too." He then looked to Rose, "Have you ever seen Vivian dance?" He wiggled his eyebrows. "She walked away from that luau with the so many leis she hardly needed anything else."

Rose couldn't help but grin at the expression on Vivian's face.

"It was your fault," Vivian complained. "It tasted like really good fruit juice, and you didn't tell me it was alcoholic until I'd already had four." She poked him in the chest.

"I-" The Doctor attempted to defend himself, but she interrupted.

"Nor," she poked him once more, "did you happen to mention what being given so many leis meant."

The Doctor only smirked.

Vivian glared at him.

"What did it mean?" Rose asked, her eyes glittering with the prospect of future blackmail. Vivian had far too much on her.

Vivian eyed the Doctor with a look that made it clear he'd regret it if he said anything more.

"Right." He coughed.

"So… Religion?" Vivian changed the subject as soon as it was convenient, "Why would they ban religion? I can understand weapons or the teleportation thing but… religion?"

"Think of it." The Doctor let out a deep breath. Despite the fun he'd had teasing Vivian, he was quite glad the threat of being poked again was gone. "All those people. Think of the variety of guests on the list for this sort of event."

"Event? There's going to be some sort of end of the world party." Vivian guessed.

The Doctor nodded, "All the great and the good are gathering to watch the planet get roasted."

"The great and good?" Vivian asked.

"More like rich," Rose grumbled.

"You get religion going around in conversation, you're bound to have an argument," He told them.

"True," Vivian conceded.

As they neared the end of the hall Rose asked, "It said guests, what do they mean by guests, like people?"

The Doctor shrugged, "I suppose it's what you mean by people."

"Well, I mean people," Rose told him. "What do you mean?"

"Aliens."

"So, all these aliens then, they're here to watch the earth burn?" She asked

"Roasted."

Vivian and Rose jumped upon hearing an angry voice calling in their direction. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?"

Rose's eyes widened, and she turned and whispered to Vivian, "He's blue."

Vivian just nodded. In truth, she was slightly disappointed. He was so _normal_ looking compared to some of the aliens she'd seen on their trip to Bromeliad.

"Oh, that's nice, thanks," Doctor greeted him. He looked pleased, as though the blue alien had just greeted them with the up most civility.

"But how did you get in?" The newcomer glared, attempting a superior effect; however, it was clear their presence made him nervous. He lifted his chin as though it might give him more strength. "This is a maximum hospitality zone! The guests have disembarked. They're on their way now!" It was clear he was on the verge of panicking.

The Doctor wasn't fazed by the alien's alarm. Instead, he smiled brightly and informed the man, "That's me. I'm a guest. I'm the Doctor. You see." He held up his psychic paper to the man who they now understood to be the steward. "And," the Doctor continued, "These are my companions Rose Tyler and Vivian…" The Doctor's eyes widened, realising for the first time he'd never asked Vivian what her last name was. He'd know Rose's name after going through her mail. "Vivian S-" He began to cover; however, Vivian stepped forward and held her hand out to the blue alien in a gesture that made it clear she expected him to take it.

"Vivian, Vivian Waterfield."

The Doctor's brow narrowed at the strange transformation Vivian made. Her voice became smooth and took on a sultry depth he'd never heard before, making his jumper suddenly feel a bit warm. It was then his Time Lord brain caught up to what she'd said. Waterfield… Waterfield… so many memories rushed forward. A fond smile crossed his lips. _Waterfield. Sweet Victoria Waterfield._ He had to fight to contain his chuckle. _That would certainly explain all the screaming._

Beside him, Rose had a hard time not giggling as well, though her focus was on the blue alien. He was blushing.

"Oh… Well yes," The steward stuttered as he took her hand and tentatively kissed to top of it.

Vivian smiled at him once more, batting her eyes slowly as she drew her hand down.

"Of… Of course… yes…" The steward straitened himself and then attempted to bring his attention to the Doctor, though it was clear he was finding this difficult. He eventually gathered himself together, glanced briefly at the psychic paper once more, and then attempted a nervous smile, "Obviously… obviously. Yes. Apologies…" His gaze seemed to wonder off for a moment, and then he turned back to the Doctor. "Since you're on board, we'll get started then." He gave a short clap and then hurried away.

As soon as the steward walked away, Rose burst into giggles. The Doctor watched in amazement as the sultry woman that had been there only moments before melted into a giggling girl.

"What was that?" He asked, clearly confused.

Both ladies attempted to control their giggles.

"That was quite the act," Rose complimented her friend, giving her a friendly shove. She turned to the Doctor and explained, "Viv's rubbish at flirting, but she can act."

"I do a bit of theatre back home," Vivian explained.

"Whatever," Rose scoffed, "you're brilliant!"

"Right. Brilliant. That's why I had three lines in the last performance."

"That's just because the director's an idiot," Rose defended.

Vivian couldn't argue with that.

"Anyway," noticing Vivian's unease, Rose changed the subject as they continued their way down the hall, "what was that you showed him?"

He pulled out the wallet holding the psychic paper. There it was, an embellished invitation with the names, the Doctor, Rose Tyler, and Vivian Waterfield. Interestingly enough, Rose noted that Vivian's last name seemed to be written in a slightly different hand. "How?" She asked.

"The paper's slightly psychic," he explained. "Shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time." He then snapped the wallet shut and returned it to the inner pocket of his jacket.

As the Doctor neared the door, they saw the steward step up to the podium and announce, "We have in attendance the Doctor, Rose Tyler, and," his voice cracked slightly, "Vivian Waterfield."

Vivian had to kick Rose, who was doing a horrible job of stifling her giggle. The poor steward blushed blue once more. The alien looked slightly relieved when a set of double doors opened revealing three very tall looking aliens that appeared as though they were carved out of wood.

"Might I introduce the next honoured guests, representing the Forest of Cheam, we have the trees, namely Jabe, Lute, and Coffa."

Rose leant towards Vivian and whispered the obvious. "They're wood."

"Well, they are trees," Vivian reasoned, as though Rose had just told her the sky was blue.

Feeling Rose's eyes on her, Vivian continued, "They remind me of some of the flowers I met on Bromeliad. They couldn't walk around though, had to stay in their pots, but they were very 'alive' and people-ish." She glanced briefly to where the trees were now speaking amongst themselves. "More than once," she continued, "I thought I'd somehow fallen into Alice in Wonderland."

Rose just nodded. It was all too weird.

Her attention was drawn away from the trees when the steward informed the room, "There will be an exchange of gifts representing peace." When the doors to the hall opened once more, he continued his introductions, "Next, from the solicitors of Jolco and Jolco, we have the Moxx of Balhoon."

Vivian and Rose watched as a little alien rolled in on what reminded them both of one of the robot vacuum cleaners they'd seen on the telly.

"And next, from Financial Family Seven, we have the Adherents of the Repeated Meme."

Vivian's brow rose, and she looked up at the Doctor, "Really? Repeated Meme?"

The Doctor shrugged, giving Vivian the impression he'd never heard of them before.

So caught up in her examination the somewhat shady looking group of aliens, she didn't even notice the trees' approach.

"The Gift of Peace. I bring you a cutting of my Grandfather." The beautiful tree handed the Doctor a small potted plant.

Both Rose and Vivian couldn't help but stare at the woman before them. She was beautiful. It was obvious that Jabe only had eyes for the Doctor and the Doctor seemed to forget they were even there.

"Thank you." The Doctor smiled at the beautiful tree and took the offered plant. He quickly passed it off to Vivian, not even looking at her, and began patting his jacket. "Yes, gifts. Er…" He suddenly stopped. Vivian couldn't help but notice how his eyes seemed to glitter, and the way his lips turned upward as though he'd just thought of something clever. He leant towards Jabe and, "I give you air from my lungs," he breathed.

The two women beside him looked on in astonishment as the tree absorbed his breath, her face clearly displaying the pleasure the gesture had given her. When the tree's dazed expression cleared, she said breathlessly, "My… how intimate."

"There's more where that came from," The Doctor flirted.

"I bet there is."

Beside her, Vivian heard Rose groan. Vivian couldn't help but agree, the scene was rather ridiculous.

Unbeknownst to Vivian, while the Doctor and Jabe were having their moment, she'd become the sole focus of the tree Coffa. His gaze hadn't gone completely unnoticed. Despite appearances, the Time Lord hadn't missed it. The tree's gaze remained fixed until he was forced to draw away.

"If you could keep the room circulating." The steward announced, looking pointedly at their group.

After the trees had moved on, the little blue creature on the vacuum cleaner rolled up.

"The Moxx of Balhoon!" The Doctor greeted cheerfully.

"My felicitations on this historical happenstance. I give you the gift of bodily salivas," the pudgy blue creature said just before hacking up a wet one and depositing it on Vivian's forehead.

"Ewww…" Vivian cried out as she attempted to wipe the goo off her face. She was furious, she could hear both Rose and the Doctor's attempt to not laugh.

"Thank you very much," the Doctor thanked the Moxx, nearly breaking.

As soon as the Moxx of Balhoon was gone Vivian growled, "Excuse me." She pushed passed her companions and headed towards the hall.

"Vivian?" Rose called after her, about to follow.

"I'll be right back, just a tick," she called back before heading off in the direction she'd seen the universal sign for the loo.

Before Rose could argue, she felt the Doctor tug on her arm.

"Ah! The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. I bring you air from my lungs."

Rose took a step back as one of the creatures opened a dangerous looking claw, offering a strange metal ball.

"A gift of peace in all good faith."

The Doctor didn't hesitate to take it and gave it a quick bounce in his hand before passing it off to Rose. She let out a sigh of relief when the Memes moved on towards where ten little white aliens stood closely together. Earlier, Rose had commented to Vivian that they looked like bowling pins. They were even lined up similarly, their leader at the head.

"Consider the Earth below," the steward announced, though Rose was too caught up on observing the variety of creatures about the room. It was overwhelming and made her uneasy.

"In memory of this dying world, we call forth the last Human."

This caught Rose's attention.

"The Lady Cassandra O'Brien of Delta Seventeen."

* * *

Vivian leant forward, inspecting her face in the mirror. She hated these advanced alien mirrors. She was sure they were made to magnify every bit of human imperfection. She frowned, she was getting a bump just above her chin, no doubt due to the drastic changes in humidity. Bromeliad had been humid and reminded her of the trip she'd taken with her drama club to Disney World in Florida. She briefly wondered if there was some future skin ointment that could take care of spots. Realising where her thoughts were headed, she rolled her eyes and stepped away from the mirror. It was the end of the world, and she was worried about spots.

When she stepped into the hall, she let out a scream as someone barreled into her. She quickly quieted when she saw who that person was.

"Rose?" Her friend looked like she was panicking, near hyperventilating.

"Vivian!" Rose grasped onto her friend. "Thank God!"

"What's wrong? Oh!" Vivian's eyes widened when she saw that the little plant that Rose had been carrying had fallen onto the floor and all its dirt was scattered about. She quickly bent down and tried to set it to rights. She frowned noticing one of its little leaves had broken off.

"What's wrong?" Rose said incredulously. She couldn't believe Vivian was worried about a plant. _At a time like this?_

After ensuring the little cutting was okay, Vivian looked up to her friend, who was obviously disturbed by something. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? What's wrong is that it's the end of the world and we've all become bits of stretched skin."

"What?" Vivian was confused. "What do you mean bits of skin?"

Rose crumpled up her nose, "Stretch skin. It's disgusting."

"What?"

Rose let out a frustrated groan. "How can you just stand there?" It was then she noticed that Vivian was still patting the soil and smoothing the leaves as though comforting a baby. "What you doin' that for?" She frowned and nodded to the pot.

"What?" She looked down. "Oh!" She dropped her hand to the side. She hadn't realised what she was doing. She blushed. "I guess I got used to it with Trouble."

Rose frowned. "You mean that plant that changed your eyes?"

Vivian nodded.

"Doesn't that bother you? I mean the plant got into you and changed your eyes. It's creepy."

"Trouble's a healer."

"Oh, and that's so much better. It's just weird." Rose shuddered.

Vivian had to admit she'd panicked at first as well; however, she'd come around to the idea. The Doctor had done numerous scans, and they'd also questioned the vin-vine expert. They hadn't found anything alarming, well other than the initial shock that her eyes had changed colour. And, the Doctor had been right, her vision had improved.

"I just had to get out of there," Rose continued. "It's just too much."

"The aliens?" Vivian asked.

"Yeah." Rose nodded, calming down slightly, "They're so _alien_ , I mean _really_ alien."

Vivian let out a laugh. "Yeah, well, you should have seen some of the aliens I met on Bromeliad. It was a bit of a shock. The Southern systems are _really_ popular during the spring, or what would be considered spring I guess. Sorta like everyone heading for a holiday in Florida. Not all of them were as normal as what's here." She cringed. "There was these black spider looking things with yellow suckers." She shuttered. "Reminded me of something out of a horror movie."

Rose made a face at the idea. She then asked, "What about humans? Did you meet any other humans?"

"We'll no."

"No?" Rose looked worried.

"Well, we were in 1912 on Earth and I don't think we travelled in time. Just popped over for a bit. I mean we hadn't even gotten to the moon yet, let alone some other system."

"I suppose, but if we'll look like that," she gestured back towards the viewing platform, "I'm not so sure the Earth exploding is a bad thing."

It was then Vivian heard a strange ticking noise, a sort of scuttling sound, hurry away. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Rose hadn't heard it.

"That tinkling noise. Like someone was tapping their fingernails."

They looked around. Nothing. Just as Vivian relaxed and was about to shrug it off, the scuttling sounded again.

"I heard that," Rose told her.

The two young women looked at each other. "What do you think?" They asked at the same time.

They both let out a laugh and without any further thought, took off towards the strange noise.


	17. Here Kitty Kitty

**Chapter 17 – It's Not the End of the World (Part 2)**

"There it is." Rose stopped suddenly and listened, extending her hand to keep Vivian from moving any further down the hall.

"I didn't hear-"

Rose waved her hand at her friend, a silent request for her to be quiet.

Vivian listened, and there it was. "It's coming from around the corner I think," she whispered.

Rose nodded, and they hurried quietly in the direction of the scuttling noise.

The two women rounded the corner and promptly found themselves face to face with the floor, having tripped over something in the hall. It only took moments to realise that the thing they'd tripped over, wasn't a thing at all. As they fell, Rose let out a string of curses, Vivian screamed, and another, though muffled, voice echoed their surprise. They'd tripped over a person.

The two humans rolled over to see a blue female alien dressed in what appeared to be a janitorial uniform.

"I'm so sorry!" "Sorry!" Rose and Vivian said at the same time as they struggled to stand.

The alien remained silent as she stared up at them.

"We heard this noise. Did you hear it? That-" Rose began questioning the stranger.

"Are you okay?" Vivian asked.

Rose's questioning ceased immediately when she realised she hadn't bothered to ask if the other woman was alright.

The alien remained silent as she looked between the two young women.

"Right…" Rose glanced briefly at Vivian and then held out her hand to help the alien up. The woman didn't move.

"Do you need us to send for someone?" Vivian asked.

The stranger looked at the two humans as though questioning something and then she spoke for the first time, "You have to give us permission to talk." She stood up slowly, as though not sure if she should.

Rose blinked. "Hmmm… right, okay." She shifted slightly. "I… I give you permission."

The alien glanced at Vivian as though seeking her approval.

Vivian nodded.

Rose and Vivian watched in astonishment as the blue woman seemed to bloom and a bright smile lifted her face. It was impossible for the two humans to not smile in turn.

There was an odd sort of silence between the three women before Vivian spoke. "Sorry about that." She nodded towards where the alien had been.

"It's okay. I'm fine. Are _you_ okay?" Despite the fact she'd been given leave to speak, there was still apprehension in her expression, as though she thought that they would report her for the incident. She was about to say something more when she focused on Vivian, who was rubbing her wrist.

Feeling the blue alien's attention on her, Vivian dropped her hands to her side.

"We're fine," Rose reassured her. She turned to Vivian. "Right?"

Vivian nodded eagerly. "Sure. Right. Fine." Vivian made sure to shake her sprained wrist a bit to reassure the other woman who was still looking at it. "Sorry we ran into you. Are we allowed to be here?" Vivian asked in an attempt to bring the other woman's attention away from her wrist, which was in truth in a lot of pain.

The blue alien seemed satisfied and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh no. No. You're not in the way. Guests are allowed to go anywhere… well except for floor 500. We've had a bit of a problem with the environmental controls."

"Yeah well, we were just following a weird sound. A sort of scuttling sound. You hear anything?" Rose asked.

"Could have been anything," the woman explained. "I've been tinkering around in here." She nodded towards an open panel in the wall. "Just carrying out a bit of maintenance. The Face of Boe's suite is having a bit of a problem with the hot water."

"You're a plumber then?" Vivian asked, looking down at the assortment of tools. Sure enough, plumbing equipment.

"That's right miss."

"They still have plumbers?" Rose asked, obviously surprised at the revelation.

The woman's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Well, I should hope so. If not… I'd be out of a job."

The two ladies smiled at that.

It was Rose who realised they hadn't introduced themselves. "Oh… I'm Rose by the way." She held out her hand.

The plumber, who seemed more at ease now, accepted the gesture eagerly. "Raffalo. Raffalo miss."

"And I'm Vivian." She gave a wave and then held out her own hand.

"How long have you been working here?" Rose asked and looked around.

"Oh not long. I just got lucky. The platform's new, height of the Alpha Class, the most advanced of its kind," Raffalo said proudly. "Though, I suppose," she nodded to the access panel, "there's bound to be a few glitches." She shrugged. "But it's been a smooth go so far. Much better than some of the older platforms I've been on."

"You've travelled around a lot then?" Rose asked.

Raffalo smiled widely. "Oh yes miss. I'm a long way from home. I'm originally from Crespallion, you've probably heard of it. It's part of the Jaggit Brocade, affiliated to the Scarlet Junction."

Rose shook her head; however, Vivian recalled hearing about it while on Bromeliad. "That's part of the Z4S galaxy, right?"

Raffalo's smile widened. "You do know your history!"

 _History?_ Vivian thought.

"The galaxy split during the convex shift in the year 56,000. It's now part of the Jaggit Brocade System."

Vivian blinked. She had no idea what the convex shift was or that a galaxy could split.

"So, your planet just moved?" Rose asked.

Raffalo laughed lightly, "Oh, not just my planet… all thirty-six of them. The Crespallion galaxy."

"Ah," was all Rose could say in response.

Vivian decided it was all too confusing and remained silent. How could a galaxy split?

"And you?" Raffalo asked. "If you don't mind me asking, where are you from?"

"Earth." They responded without thinking.

Raffalo smiled. "Oh! New Earth! That's so exciting! I'd heard of the colonisation movement."

Vivian and Rose's eyes widened. _New Earth? There was a new Earth?_

"Yeah," Rose responded, and both ladies nodded. What else could they say?

It seemed as though Raffalo was about to ask something else; however, she was interrupted when the platform shook, and all three nearly fell.

"What was that?" Rose asked. "Did we hit something."

It was obvious from Raffalo's expression that she was just as surprised.

"Couldn't have-" Raffalo began when the voice of the steward announced, "Honoured guests may be reassured that gravity pockets may cause slight turbulence, thanking you."

Raffalo frowned. Just then the communication device she was wearing beeped. She was quick to respond. "This is maintenance 361 responding."

Rose and Vivian watched as a variety of expressions passed across Raffalo's face. They were sure the call had something to do with the sudden jerk of the platform.

Directly after Raffalo ended her communication, she nodded to the two ladies. "Sorry, got to run." She then took off down the hall. As she did so, she called back. "Thanks for the permission. It was really considerate!"

Rose and Vivian were about the follow; however, it was then they heard the scurrying tapping sound. It was coming from the maintenance panel.

Rose hurried forward, knelt, and looked inside. "It's too dark. I can't see anything." The tapping sound continued.

Vivian glanced down and noticed a headlamp on top of the pile of tools left behind by Raffalo.

"Here." She picked up the lamp and handed it to Rose.

Rose lit the lamp and shined it down the small access tunnel.

"Can you see anything?" Vivian asked.

"No." Just as Rose was about to stand once more, they both heard what almost sounded like a pained moan. Rose shined the light down and pushed herself into the tunnel to try to get a better look.

"I don't see anything," she told Vivian as she began to crawl in.

Rose heard another moan, and then a weak, "meow!" Her eyes widened. "I think it might be a cat."

"What?" Vivian knelt down next to where Rose's feet were sticking out to get a better listen. Sure enough, there was the sound of scuttling, followed by a moan-like meow.

"Hello?" Rose called down the maintenance tunnel. "Come here kitty, kitty. Meow." She did a rather realistic cat noise."

The only response was the strange scuttling sound.

Rose wiggled herself forward a bit more.

"What are you doing?" Vivian's eyes widened when she realised Rose intended to crawl down the tunnel.

"It might be hurt!" Rose called back to her friend.

"We should just go get someone. We've no idea where that goes."

"But it could be injured, could have fallen or something, you know… with that gravity pocket thing," Rose reasoned.

"You're gonna crawl down that thing then?" Vivian asked. "Are you insane."

Rose heard another moan followed by what she was sure was a cat's scared meow.

"There's a cat down there!" Rose called back to Vivian. "I don't think it's far. Just around the corner. If I can just-" Whatever Rose was about to say was cut short when she let out a frustrated growl. "I can't get through!"

"Are you stuck?" Vivian called to her friend. "I knew you should…"

"No!" Rose called back. It was clear she was upset about something. "I'm fine," her voice was sharp.

Vivian watched as Rose manoeuvred back towards her, grumbling all the way.

When Rose finally pulled herself out of the tunnel, she had a scowl on her face and was rubbing her chest. "Sometimes I bloody well hate them."

Vivian stared at Rose for a moment in confusion and then upon realising what had occurred, burst into giggles.

"Stop it," Rose complained as she continued to rub. Though, her grumbling didn't last long before she was compelled to join in Vivian's amusement. Not that it made her chest feel any better.

"You see how you'd like it." Rose tried to maintain her scowl.

"Never had that problem," Vivian smirked.

Rose glanced down at Vivian's chest and then looked up at her smirking face. "Here." She shoved the headlamp at her friend.

"What!"

"You go. You've always wanted a cat."

"Rose, let's just go get someone. We-"

A loud whimper-like meow interrupted Vivian's objection to Rose's plan. Without another word, She grabbed the headlamp, adjusted it to her head, and then shoved herself through the maintenance tunnel towards the sound of a meow, which was followed by the tap-tap-tap-tap scuttling against metal.

Rose watched as Vivian pushed herself down the tunnel.

Only moments later it was Vivian's turn to groan. "Good Lord!" She could go no further.

"What's wrong?"

"You guess."

"You're kidding." Rose couldn't believe it. "How?"

"My hips."

It was Rose's turn to giggle.

"I'm coming back out," Vivian told her with a tone somewhere between irritation and amusement.

Just as Vivian was about to near the exit, she let out a cry. Rose dropped down to see what had happened and was horrified to see a metal grating had dropped down from above and had landed on Vivian's bum.

"Are you okay?" Rose asked.

"What do you think?"

Despite Vivian's protest, Rose could tell Vivian was more frustrated than in pain.

"I'm stuck! Really stuck!"

"I… I'll go get someone," Rose told her.

"I knew it! I knew we should have gotten someone." Vivian complained. When Rose didn't respond, Vivian realised Rose had already left. She let out a frustrated scream and then listened for the kitten and the tinkling they'd heard before. All was silent.

"Hello?" She called out, hoping to get an answer.

There was nothing.

"Kitty, kitty?"

Still not a sound.

She let out a frustrated sigh. The cat had probably wandered off, and now she was stuck here. "Why?" She groaned. She shouldn't have let Rose talk her into this. "Of all the stupid-" Vivian stopped mid admonishment. _Rolling?_ _Was that something rolling?_ She listened more carefully. Yes, she was positive. Something was rolling down the maintenance tunnel.

It was then she saw it, tiny red lights reflecting off the metal walls of the tunnel, accompanied by scuttling and more rolling.

"Hello?" She called out.

Vivian's scream echoed through the hall, though there was no one to hear her cry.

* * *

Jabe smiled up at the Doctor and then glanced around the room. "I'm sorry I missed speaking to your wives. Are they soon to return?"

 _Wives?_ His eyes widened for a moment, but he then laughed, "Ha! Not married!"

Jabe smiled. She was clearly pleased. "Partners?"

"Nope."

"Concubines?"

"Nope."

Jabe raised her eyebrow, and her lips turned upwards. Better and better.

"Prostitutes?"

"Ah… No." The Doctor grinned.

"I see." Jabe drew her hand down the leather of his jacket. "What brought you here then?" She played with the bottom of the zipper.

"Oh, you know, a bit of sightseeing. Universal history right here and now."

Jabe was slightly frustrated when he didn't seem to respond to her touch.

"And you, what's a tree like you, doing in a place like this?" He winked at her and then gestured to the platform around him.

 _There_ , she thought. "Oh, respect for the Earth of course." She said coyly.

"Oh, come on. Everyone here's worth zillions."

Jabe waved him off as though the money was of little matter. "What about you? Are _you_ worth zillions?"

"Nope. Not a penny."

Jabe blinked and looked confused. "A penny?"

"Oh, just an old Earth form of currency." He used his head to gesture to the Earth outside the window. "Fittin', don't you think?" His quick glance was the most attention the dying planet was receiving from this lot.

She nodded.

"I'm sure you've got your roots in deep here," he continued. "I know your lot. You've got massive forests everywhere. There's always money in land, and you've got to keep those shares up."

"I suppose you're right. It certainly doesn't hurt to be seen with the right people at the right occasions," she admitted.

He nodded, pleased with himself.

"Though," she added. "It doesn't mean we don't respect the Earth." For the first time during their conversation, Jabe's eyes wandered towards the Earth. The Doctor heard a change in her voice, a reverence that was undeniable. "It is our family. Our history. We owe our existence to that beautiful, but doomed planet."

The Doctor watched as she was drawn to the viewing window.

"So many species." She glanced behind her, only to find that the Doctor had moved to her side. She smiled up at him before turning back to the Earth, placing her hand on the glass as though longing to reach out and touch it. "So many evolved from that planet. Mankind is just one." She looked back to the Doctor who was watching her face, a soft expression in his eyes. She smiled up at him. "My ancestors were transplanted, my grandfather, in fact, was transplanted from the Earth." She smiled proudly and then looked back down. "I'm a direct descendant of the Tropical Rainforests." She then turned and nodded to one of the trees who was now speaking with a woman from the planet Octar. The tree was beautiful, for a male of his species; however, the Doctor's gaze was drawn to the Octarian woman the tree was speaking with. She was lovely, with long golden hair and silver haired limbs, a cross between a human and a fuzzy octopus.

"Lute's ancestors," Jabe redirected his attention to the tall male tree, "were transplants of the baobab trees of Africa." She then nodded to another who was speaking to the Face of Boe. "Coffa's ancestors were of the great oaks of Europe."

 _No. Can't be._ The Doctor blinked. A vision of the tiny vin-vine plant in the arms of the great oak flitted across his mind. _Couldn't be._

Jabe had noticed the Doctor's odd expression as he studied Coffa, and was about to ask if he was well when he whispered "no," and then turned to face her once more. Her leaves flush green when he looked down at her with those twinkling blue eyes and brilliant smile.

The Doctor's hand involuntarily lifted towards one of the green leaves near Jabe's eye and she closed her eyes and began to lean, waiting for the touch. The touch never came. Instead, the entire platform shook. Jabe would have fallen; however, she was able to keep herself steady by grabbing onto the Doctor's jacket and his steadying hands that had grasped onto her waist. Under other circumstances, Jabe would have enjoyed the feeling of the alien's hands on her waist; however, she was so startled, and the touch was so fleeting, that she didn't have time to enjoy it.

"That's not supposed to happen," he said more to himself as he released her. He glanced around the room. A number of the guests had not been so lucky. He noticed that all ten of the bowling pin like aliens had been knocked over. "Score," he joked, unable to grin despite the suspicious jerk of the platform.

Moments later, the steward's voice assured the gathering that the incident was merely turbulence caused by gravity pockets.

"That wasn't a gravity pocket. I know gravity pockets, and they don't feel like that." The Doctor turned to Jabe, his eyes were glittering with the prospect of trouble. "What do you think?" His grin widened, and he moved his head around as though seeking something. "Ah… Listen to the engines."

Jabe couldn't hear a thing other than the mutterings and complaining of the other guests.

"They've pitched up about thirty Hertz. That dodgy or what." He looked back to her.

Jabe shrugged. "The sound of metal. It doesn't make any sense to me."

"Where's the maintenance room?" He asked, looking around the room as though he might find a flashing neon sign reading, _maintenance room this way._

"I don't know," Jabe shook her head. "But, the maintenance duct is behind our guest suite. I could take you there." She smiled up at him. She couldn't help but consider that a lot could happen in the guest suite. After all, the access to the maintenance duct was next to the bedroom.

The Doctor's lip twitched, and he held out his arm to her. "I'm all yours."

As they exited the observation deck, an automated voice announced, "Earth death in thirty minutes."

* * *

Rose nearly fell as she rushed through the doors leading back into the observation deck. She was slightly out of breath upon arrival, and she panted as she looked around the room for the Doctor. Her eyes widened when she couldn't find him anywhere. "Doctor!" She called out, as she rushed around the room, weaving around people who were grumbling about the shaking of the platform.

Getting no response, she rushed over to one of the little blue men. "Have you seen the Doctor? Tall guy, leather jacket?" The little alien just looked at her as though she was speaking a foreign language. She asked again; however, she couldn't get an answer. She looked away in hopes of finding the steward. He was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, he's gone dear," said an amused voice from behind her. "But what can you expect."

Rose whipped around to see the bit of stretched skin that called herself the last human. "What do you mean gone?" Had the Doctor left them in the future where their world was about to blow!

"Oh, you know men; it's always the same." Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Always after something fresh and new."

Rose just stared at her, still stunned with the idea that the Doctor had left.

"Though, you really can't blame him," Cassandra looked Rose up and down, "you really could use some work."

"What?" Rose stepped away, both offended and confused. "What work?"

"I mean look at me, I don't look a day over 2,000." She displayed a creepy smile that may have been an attempt to look attractive. "I've just had my eyebrows removed." Cassandra batted her eyelashes as though to emphasise the fact there was nothing above. "I bet you can hardly tell they were there," she preened.

Rose tried not to look disgusted and asked, "How are you the last human? I mean, I thought they all spread out and stuff. You know, went to new planets?"

It was Cassandra's turn to look disgusted. "I'm the last _pure_ human. They've all _mingled_ , calling themselves, new humans, proto-humans, digi-humans, even humanish. They're just mongrels."

"But you don't look very human," Rose told her. "I've seen human."

"I've had some work," Cassandra looked pleased with herself.

Rose's eyebrow lifted, "How many operations have you had?"

"Seven hundred and eight, but I'm having my blood bleached next week."

Rose shuddered. "That's just sick."

"You should consider it. And, perhaps a bit of work on your chin."

Rose found it strange that the _thing_ seemed to be able to gesture without any arms. _Chin removed?_ "I'd rather die," Rose told Cassandra honestly.

"If you'd like, I could refer you to an excellent surgeon. Perfectly painless."

"No, really I'd rather die."

"You see, that's what your problem is," Cassandra told her. "And you're surprised when he's gone off with some tree."

 _Gone off with a tree?_ Rose thought.

"My thirteenth husband was like that," the skin added. "Ran off with a cat. I hope she gave him hairballs."

"What?"

"If he saw me now…" She reminisced for a moment. "Anyway, you know men, they can't help it when they see a pretty face. And those trees…" Cassandra's eyes squinted slightly, and if she had brows, they would have narrowed. "Those trees can be tricky. Always getting their limbs about, encroaching on everyone." Cassandra shuttered on her frame and then added, "I don't see what's so attractive about them, all wrinkled and dried out."

The very idea of dry, wrinkled skin made her call out for her boys, "Moisturize me. Moisturize me."

Rose stepped away as two men dressed in what looked like hazmat suits stepped forward and sprayed the creature down with what reminded Rose of garden sprayers.

"You know, you could use a bit of moisturiser yourself." Cassandra suggested, "Your skin's looking a bit dried out, and you really might want to consider having that chin removed."

"Are you completely bonkers? You don't even look human anymore if you ever were! All you are now is a bitchy trampoline! Anything human has been chucked in the bin. The only real humans around here are Vivian and me."

Cassandra just rolled her eyes, "And I suppose Vivian is that little friend you were with?" The trampoline didn't wait for a response. "She could stand to have her hip bones filed down."

It was then Rose realised she'd completely forgotten the reason she'd returned to the viewing gallery. She'd forgotten Vivian, who was probably furious being stuck in the maintenance tunnel.

"Ahhh, you're no help," Rose cried and turned away from Michael Jackson. She scanned the room, but Cassandra was right, the Doctor was gone. She scowled. How dare he go off and… off and… pollinate when Vivian was stuck in a maintenance tunnel.

She was just about to ask the Face of Boe for help, after all, he sponsored the event, when a deep, ancient sounding voice startled her from behind. "You are a Rose?"

Rose sucked in her breath upon looking up into the face of the tall male tree she recalled being introduced as Coffa. He'd appeared rather imposing, like a giant guard standing watch over the smallest of the trio. At that thought, Rose scowled.

"I'm sorry if I…"

"Oh!" Rose realised how her expression might have been taken. "No! Sorry! Didn't mean to be rude, but yeah, my name's Rose. You're Coffa then?"

Rose felt a strange sort of breeze around the _man_. She got the strangest feeling that he was smelling her. She stepped away slightly when he bowed.

"Yeah, well, I was lookin' for the Doctor. I think he might have left the observation deck with your friend. Her name's Jabe right?"

The tree nodded.

"Do you know where they went? I need to get back to Vivian. She's stuck."

The tree looked confused. "Your friend of the ancient earth?"

Did he know they were from the Earth the _real_ Earth? "Well, I suppose, yeah."

"I can lead you to our guest suite. More than likely they've gone there," he offered.

Rose was reminded of her irritation. She wasn't too keen on finding the Doctor now. He'd left them to go off with some plant with long roots. For all she cared, he could pollinate an entire forest. "Thanks, but I just need to get help for Vivian."

Coffa bowed. Rose couldn't help but notice that he looked much more _tree-like_ than Jabe.

"I am at your service," he told her.

* * *

"Vivian, I'm back." She crouched down to look into the tunnel. "I've brought-" There was no Vivian. The only thing Rose could see was the headlamp that her friend had been wearing. It was lying face down, producing a dim glow. Rose turned to where Coffa stood beside her. "She's gone. I guess she got out." Rose knelt back down and called into the tunnel. "Vivian! Did you get through? Did you find it?" There was no response.

Coffa leaned down to have a look for himself.

Rose watched with wide eyes as he extended his arm towards the lamp. His arm actually grew as he reached, and then seemed to blossom as he turned the lamp over. While this was amazing, her attention was quickly drawn away from his wooden arm and to the lone green sandal trapped behind the grating.

"Vivian!" Rose called out again, but there was no response.


	18. The Web they Weave

Vivian's leadened head rolled to the side, and she let out a deep groan. Her languid movements suddenly gave in to panicked flailing, causing the wire wrapped around her wrists to bite into her skin. Her eyes flew open, and she whipped her head up to search her surroundings. Her panic grew as the hazy blur coating her eyes dissolved only to find complete darkness. Her wrists burned, and her arms were sore. Hanging. She looked above. Hanging. She was hanging in darkness.

"No! No no no!" Her cry began softly, slowly growing louder until her lungs screamed, "Help! Anyone! Help me!" She let out a sob, and her body swung to the side, returning like a dying pendulum.

Her cries for help went on until her throat became sore, and a warm drop of liquid fell upon her cheek. She looked back up. Her sobs softened slowly, as she stared up in the direction of her hands. There was now an outline where she knew her arms to be. Her hands. Her wrists. She blinked. Had anyone been there, and able to see in the darkness, they would have seen Vivian's irises grow, and her pupils dilate so darkly that only a thin green ring remained around the blackness. The outlines became clearer. It wasn't until that moment that she could feel the blood. Though she was cold, her arms were streaked with warmth. There was another drip.

In that moment, her body seemed to become alive, hypersensitive to everything around her. She could smell the dust in the air, hear the whirling of a fan, and the movement of cool air passing through the dark space. She was silent as she listened to her heart beating hard in her chest, the organ somehow able to force the blood up into her hands, despite her position. It was so loud; pounding in her ears.

The deep rhythm was interrupted by a tap, tap, tap, tap. Her body began to tense.

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

The scuttling noise.

Her heart beat harder in her chest as the sound grew. "No," she said softly, though it seemed so loud. The drumming of her heart silenced, as though it had stopped beating. "No!" She cried and pulled at the wires, her elbows burned as the tendons around them stretched.

Only moments later a light appeared. Her struggling stopped, and Vivian froze as she watched the spider-like creature move its small red eye. She followed the light's progress as it scanned the room. Spider webs. Shiny metal spider webs covered the space above.

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

They were coming. Hundreds of the tiny robots neared.

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

She screamed.

* * *

Jabe slid her branch-like hand along the door leading into her suite. "It's just through here." She glanced back at the Doctor who was following close behind. He gave her a bright smile, and his brows rose in anticipation. After all, the sooner they got to the engine room, the better.

Jabe gave him a coy smile and then turned back towards the door, drawing her finger down the touch-pad.

As soon as the door slid open, Jabe glided through, turning slightly to beckon the Doctor to follow.

"Nice. Very nice." He nodded in approval as he looked around the room. Noticing a large green rug, he strode forward and bent down to give it a ruffle with his fingers. He gave the air a sniff. "Ah… mint moss." He stood, dabbed his fingers over his tongue, and then rolled the oils around his mouth. He grinned. "Minty fresh!" His brow rose, and he nodded down to the carpet of moss. "Bet this cost a pretty leaf."

Jabe nodded, running her hand along the wet bar she was standing next to. "It's the height of the alpha class."

"Clearly," he told her as he strode towards a large window. The view was almost as stunning as found on the viewing platform, though much smaller. He gave the window a pat. He frowned and let his fingertips linger slightly longer before dropping his hand to his side.

Jabe didn't notice the very slight change in his expression and held out a glass of peacock green and sparkling blue liquid. She frowned, slightly perturbed when he didn't notice her.

He'd replaced his hand on the window glass, and his frown deepened. "That's not right," he murmured to himself before patting down his jacket before drawing out his sonic screwdriver." He was about to measure the temperature of the window when Jabe nudged him with the Champagne glass.

He recognised it immediately and quickly took the drink from her. "To the end of the world!" He saluted.

She smiled softly and lifted her own glass before taking a small sip, after all, it was very expensive Champagne. Her eyes widened as the Doctor drained the entire glass in one go.

"Fantastic!" The Doctor smacked his lips together. "Got to love those moon vineyards of New Champagne!" He gave the glass a sniff and looked to Jabe, not attuned to the astonished expression on her face. "3998 vintage if I'm not mistaken!"

Jabe nodded, still slightly stunned.

"The best!" He continued his praise enthusiastically before clarifying, "well, perhaps after a fresh banana daiquiri made with Alpha Centaurian Rum. They have an eye for rum you know." He grinned at her as though he'd made some sort of joke. His smile faltered slightly. It was obvious that Jabe hadn't gotten it, though it was possible she'd never seen an Alpha Centaurian. He made a mental note that he should take Rose and Vivian to Alpha Centauri. Before 8653 of course. The rum they began producing after 8653 was rubbish. He grimaced.

"More?" Jabe hesitantly held out the bottle for him.

He grinned and held out his glass, watching eagerly as she poured the drink. Jabe was somewhat relieved when he began to sip.

"You must have some really long roots to have acquired a bottle this old." He told her.

"They're rather," she responded, a huskiness to her voice. As though to emphasise her desire to shift the conversation in a more pleasant direction, she took a step closer, just enough so that one of the leaves on her head touched the Time Lord's ear.

The Doctor swallowed deeply, nearly choking on a bit of the Champagne. In doing so, he released a slightly startled breath directly into the foliage of Jabe's hair.

"Oh Doctor," Jabe moaned and closed her eyes.

The Doctor's eyes widened when he realised what he'd done. While he was always good for a bit of a flirt, there was business that needed to be taken care of. Unfortunately, he was now backed up against the window of the ship, and he couldn't tell if the glass had grown slightly warmer of if it was his own temperature that had risen. He was therefore relieved when the platform's computer announced, "Earth Death in twenty minutes."

"Right then!" He quickly emptied his glass of Champagne and then slid away from her, shielding himself with his sonic screwdriver. "Where is that access panel?"

Jabe's eyes shot open, and confusion blossomed on her face. "What?" She'd forgotten the reason he'd followed her back to her room.

"The access panel to the maintenance hall."

Jabe blinked, trying to process the Doctor's sudden change. She had thought, she'd hoped…"

Jabe's disappointment was interrupted when the ship shook once more, this time slightly more violently. Her eyes widened, and her heart began to beat even harder in her chest. The feeling of urgency that had been moving through her sap refocused on the ship. "This way!"

* * *

Vivian began flailing wildly as the metal creatures began their descent from the ceiling above. One, two, three… soon there were hundreds of the creatures descending their little red eyes now focused on her. It wasn't long before the tapping had stopped and they were all there, surrounding her from above. Each had their little red eye on her. She stilled as they stopped their progression down towards her. Had she not known what they were, they would have appeared to be small little red Christmas lights strung from above. Vivian knew they weren't Christmas lights. They were creatures. She briefly wondered if they were part living. Maybe a hybrid? Spider cyborgs? How else could they produce all the web? The thought that part of the creature might be living was rather frightening. A mechanical robot wouldn't eat her, at least she didn't think it would. Would a tiny cyborg? She suddenly had visions of being wrapped up in a metal web like some sort of packed lunch. She shuttered at the idea.

Realizing that the creatures weren't going to descend upon her, Vivian relaxed slightly and attempted to look around a bit more. The spider eyes produced a fair amount of light, and she was able to make out the fact her dress had become rather tattered and stained with a dark liquid. Her blood. Seeing her stained dress somehow made the pain in her wrists even more pronounced, and she let out a whimper. She decided right then and there if she got out of this alive, she was going home. There was no way the Doctor could convince her to take another wild trip. She'd thought she'd see the stars, which she had. She thought she'd find excitement. Oh, he'd shown her that in abundance. She'd known there would be danger; however, never in her wildest dreams did she think she'd be hung up by horrible metal spiders. In some ways, the Tchorlians she'd encountered were less frightening. She'd always hated spiders. She'd had an infestation of the tiny little things in her car. Needless to say, she sold the car and gave up driving altogether.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a metal door opening and then slamming shut. "Help!" She immediately cried out. After she'd called for help, she realised that her actions might set the metal spiders on her. To her surprise, they didn't move. Her attention focused in the direction of the sound, waiting for a response. When none came, she called out one more. "Help me! Please! Help me!" She quieted and listened carefully with the hope that someone had heard her. Someone was coming near. She could hear the faint sounds of footsteps in the distance.

"Hello?" She called out. "I hear you! I'm here!" There was a weak hopefulness in her tone.

The steps became louder, but still, there was no answer.

"Hello?"

No answer.

She was about to call out once more when the wires restraining her slipped, causing her to fall a few feet. Just as suddenly, she was jerked harshly as her descent was abruptly cut short. She screamed and began to cry. She could feel the wire cut further into her wrists. It burned. It stung. Her wrists suddenly numbed. A feeling of relief mixed with dread coursed through her. She wasn't for sure if the numbing sensation was a good or a bad thing.

The sound of the footsteps neared, and her heartbeat increased.

"Please! Please help me?" She whimpered. Her heart beat faster. The fact that the footsteps gave no answer didn't reassure her. Surely, if the nearing footsteps were there to help, they would have responded to her cry. There was only silence. She began to have trouble breathing. Panic. She quickly realised she at the beginning of a panic attack, so she attempted to regulate her breathing. Her attempt was in vain. With each passing second, with each passing step she heard, the panic rose. The wires holding her aloft gave way a bit more, but only slightly. She held her breath and waited. Just as she was about to take in another breath the wires stretched. Her head shot up as she suddenly heard the sound of the spiders once more.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

They were leaving. The little red lights began to disappear.

The wires stretched and slipped. Vivian jerked once more.

Just as she thought the wires had stilled she heard the sound of a wire snap, like a broken violin string.

She screamed as she plummeted down into the darkness below.


	19. All In Good Faith

"Vivian!" Rose called down the maintenance tunnel one more time knowing there would be no reply. She let out a sigh. "We gotta' find someone." She gestured to the tunnel with Vivian's sandal. "We aren't gettin' through there."

"Perhaps the steward could assist?" Coffa suggested. His voice had a deep resonance to it, like an ancient tree branch, just barely moving in a strong wind.

Rose nodded eagerly. She was just about to take off down the hall when Coffa offered her his arm. Rose blinked. He was so strange, a beautiful sort of strange, but so alien. That being said, she couldn't help but consider that this tree… person… certainly looked more human than that bit of skin from the observation deck. She shuttered slightly.

Coffa lowered his trunk-like arm, clearly taking her reaction in offence.

"Oh, no!" Rose grasped onto his arm, "sorry… I was just…" She bit her bottom lip in worry and looked to the side before facing the tree. "You just… well… I'm not… I've never… you're an alien."

Coffa's brow narrowed further.

Rose let go of Coffa's arm and began twisting the bottom hem of her shirt. "Well yeah… I… I've never been away and well that… that… Lady Cassandra, she's just not human… I mean…," she was now rambling, "nothin' about her is… and you…" she nodded her head to him, "you're so… human… well, a treey sorta' human… ya' know?"

Coffa's brow softened. Rose felt ridiculous.

"I was just thinkin'… of that… of Lady Cassandra… and she's so…" she shivered as though emphasising that her prior act had indeed been a result of her thoughts about the trampoline, "she's not anythin'." She glanced down at his arm.

The tall tree held it out to her once more.

Rose quickly linked her arm with his. That being said, she'd be lying to herself if she denied being slightly put off by it, but… well, what was a bit of wood?

Rose was surprised at how quickly they reached the viewing platform. While she'd never run arm and arm with a tree, she never would've believed a tree could move so fast… so graceful. He was just so large and rough looking with all that thick bark. He gave the impression of being so… heavy. That being said, as he'd pulled her along, she seemed to glide along with him, as though caught up in a gentle wind. She briefly wondered if it was some strange tree alien thing, and it was just one more thing to add to the surreality of the situation. She wasn't sure how much more she could take.

Upon arriving at the observation platform, Rose looked around for the Doctor once more, though she doubted he'd be around. Sure enough, he wasn't. Surprise. Surprise. The steward was also nowhere in sight. It was then she saw a group of the little blue aliens. Five of them were huddled in a small little group, whispering and gesturing wildly. Clearly, something had happened to get them so excited. That being said, the other occupants of the platform were still mingling, waiting for the end of the world to come.

Rose pulled from Coffa's side and hurried over to the little blue men, who quieted as soon as she neared.

"Can you tell me where the steward is? My friend's gone missing," Rose asked.

All five of them just stared at her for a moment before they began whispering amongst themselves once more, something about systems and wiring.

"Look here!" Rose stepped forward and tapped one of the blue men on the shoulder. "I need to find my friend. She went down this vent thing… and I need to see the steward NOW…"

Just then the platform shook once more, this time slightly more violent than the last. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose could see a set of bowling pin looking aliens tumble to the floor.

Instead of answering Rose, all five of the little blue aliens hurried down the nearest corridor. Rose didn't hesitate to follow after them, leaving Coffa behind. She didn't notice two of the dark memes follow after her.

* * *

The Doctor rushed down the maintenance tunnel towards the sound of whirring engines, Jabe barely keeping up. Her heavy gown and impracticable shoes made it difficult to move around the small tunnel. While he didn't complain out loud, the Doctor couldn't help but grumble to himself about the ridiculousness of women's footwear. His thoughts turned to Vivian. She had a fondness for the uncomfortable torture devices. He couldn't understand the reasoning behind them. Sure they made her legs look longer… but… well… they were impractical and utterly ridiculous to wear when you knew you'd be doing a lot of running. His thoughts returned to Jabe as the tree let out a quiet screech as she grabbed hold of a nearby metal bar to keep from falling down. Her heal had caught on grating on the floor. He frowned at her. As though she could read his thoughts, Jabe jumped slightly on one foot and then the other as she pulled off the dangerous shoes.

"There," she sighed.

The Doctor grinned, took hold of her hand, and they hurried down the corridor at a faster pace only to come to a halt after making a turn. They'd come to the end of the passage and now faced a large metal door.

The Doctor smiled widely. "There we are!" He gave a laugh and pulled on the handle. It didn't budge. "Of course not," he complained. He leaned over the control panel next to the door and studied it.

"Should we call for the Steward?" Jabe asked. "Those are new to all the five series platforms. The most secure locks-"

"Ah," the Doctor interrupted, "Won't need to, not with this." He drew out his sonic screwdriver and flashed it at her. "With a bit of jiggery-pokery, this lock will have nothing on me." He grinned at her. "No problem at all." He didn't wait for a response and quickly turned to begin his magic on the security panel.

Jabe was fascinated by the alien next to her. He was full of so many contradictions and impossibilities. When she'd first seen him, she'd been attracted to his rugged appearance contrasted by his beauty. Oh, those eyes, those clear, sparkling blue eyes. They reminded her of the cool rivers running through the Great Chem Forest. At first glance, he seemed… hard, but when he shared his breath, she could feel something so very soft about him, a tenderness. Her dark brown eyes darkened slightly as she recalled his breath as it travelled across her leaves. She sighed quietly.

Misinterpreting her sigh for inpatients, the Doctor assured her, "Shouldn't be much longer. These things are tricky, and somethings gotten into the mainframe."

She nodded.

Feeling a need for conversation, not to mention he was curious, the Doctor asked, "So tell me about your grandfather. You said you were a descendant of the tropical rain forests. Don't know much about tree evolution."

Jabe couldn't help but grin. She was proud of her heritage. "Ah yes, my Grandfather's roots descended from the Great Samauma, the second of the sentient lines originating from Earth."

"You mentioned your friend was a descendant of the European oaks. Coffa wasn't it?" The Doctor had been curious about Jeb's comments earlier. Could it be? A whole species originating from that one little plant?

Jebe nodded. "Oh yes, Coffa would have been considered royalty before the last deforestation of the Chem government. His great-grandparents were the first to arrive as cuttings on Chem. As far back as it's been recorded, all sentient tree families can all be traced back to Coffa's roots. There is the controversy of course, when does a tree become sentient?"

"And what do you believe?" The doctor asked as he fiddled with some wires. Before Jebe could answer, a shower of sparks brightened the dark maintenance hall.

"Is it all right?" Jeb asked worriedly.

"Just fine," the Doctor said with a narrow brow. The code was proving to be more difficult than he'd thought. "Something keeps changing the passcodes."

Jabe let him work for a moment and then asked, "What about you then?"

"What about me?"

"What about your ancestry, Doctor? Perhaps you could tell a story or two?" She inquired carefully.

The Doctor paused in his work momentarily but then started once more, leaning in closer to his work.

"I scanned you earlier," Jebe admitted hesitantly, "…your existence is..." She waited for a reaction, but none came. She knew she shouldn't continue pressing; however, she was far too curious. "I couldn't believe it… it's so very… unlikely. But it's right. Isn't it Doctor?"

The Doctor stilled in his work once more, and his hands dropped to his sides.

After seeing the pained expression on his face, Jabe felt guilty for prying. He suddenly looked so very old. To ease any hurt she caused, she put one of her long hands over his. "Forgive me… it's… it was… forgive me for intruding, but it's so very remarkable that you even exist." She squeezed his hand in comfort.

The Doctor nodded, still staring at the control panel as though if he took his eyes off of it all the ghosts of his past would come swarming around him.

"I…" Jabe continued, "Doctor… I just wanted to say how sorry I am." She watched as a single tear fell from his eye. He gave a sharp nod, squeezed her hand, and then set to work on the panel once more.

Only moments later, after a bright shower of blue and silver sparks lit the room, the panel's light turned green, and the door to the engine room slid open.

* * *

Vivian groaned as she attempted to move. Every part of her body was in pain. "Why?" She whimpered in the darkness. Why hadn't she gone home? Why had she agreed to another trip? She'd faced demons, well… they weren't demons, but they might as well have been. Surely that should have been enough to convince her that travelling with the Doctor was a bad idea? Yet… there was the Daniels family and Serptrion. Terrible but beautiful Serptrion. Knowing him… hearing about his world… had tempered her fear and stimulated her curiosity. That being said, after they'd said goodbye to Serptrion and the Daniels family, she was still hesitant to travel on. The Doctor had agreed to take her back to London if she wished but suggested she stay on until they could return Trouble to his homeworld. She'd agreed. Then, after a quick visit with the vin-vine expert, the Doctor had convinced her to take a little tour of Bromeliad, they were already there after all. She'd fallen in love with the planet the moment she'd exited the Tardis. She was certain, absolutely certain, she'd never seen a more beautiful sight. The entire planet was composed of beautiful gardens, lush forests, amazing waterfalls, and relaxing hot springs. She'd particularly liked the hot springs after the horrible experience in the Tchorlian maze. Bromeliad was an Eden, an alien Eden, but Eden all the same. And, the people had been wonderful. Such a variety of cultures. She and the Doctor had gotten some strange looks, after all, no humans had made it into space as of yet and, according to the Doctor, the Time Lords had looked upon the Z4S Galaxy as being uncivilised and rarely set foot on the large planet. However, despite the Time Lords considering it primitive, Vivian thought it was fantastic. After two Broman weeks, she'd nearly forgotten how terrified she'd been in the dark and deadly maze. Now, her terror had returned in full force, and there was no Serptrion to save her.

"Meow."

It was the cat. Vivian couldn't help but let out a pained laugh. All of this to rescue some cat. She'd always wanted a cat… or a dog. As she sat there in the dark on the cold floor, she determined that if she got home, the first thing she'd do was go to animal rescue and get a cat. Perhaps it would satisfy her need to run around rescuing animals. It was certainly safer. One didn't get strung up by robot spiders when going down to the animal rescue.

"Meow."

There it was again. She widened her eyes as though it might help her see better in the darkness. Surprisingly, it did, slightly. She could just make out the texture of the walls, and what might be pipes. "Here kitty, kitty," she called out as she searched for any movement. Or a door. She turned around on the floor and then spotted it. _Is that a door?_ She thought to was sure she could see a thin sliver of light. She slowly crawled towards it. She crawled upon her hands and knees, despite the fact her wrists stung with each movement, she didn't trust her legs or her balance quite yet. She moved forward. Slowly. Carefully. She froze. _Is that purring?_ It was so faint, barely audible, but yes, it was purring. She crawled towards the light and then suddenly froze once more. _Was it really a cat?_ She questioned herself. After all, it was possible that whatever was making the sound wasn't a cat. She'd fallen. Far. Would a cat have survived the fall? She swallowed, and the sound seemed to echo through the room. Her throat was dry from her cries and grated within her along her neck. Serptrion had purred, and he certainly wasn't a cat. He didn't meow. Whatever was on the other side of the light had meowed. It had to be a cat. She closed her eyes to the darkness and wished she'd not followed the thing. She was startled out of her musings when she heard a screeching hiss coupled with what sounded like a scream before silencing completely. She had to clench her teeth together so not to let out her own cry. That hadn't been the sound of any cat she'd ever heard. Just as quickly as it had begun, the hiss stopped, and it was silence once more. As though her heart had more started beating once more, she could hear it drumming in her years. Thudthump. Thudthump. Thudthump. Thudthump. Deafening. Just as suddenly as it began, she heard the sound of footsteps. One pair. Two pairs. Three. As though she knew the steps would offer her no assistance, her voice remained trapped in her clenched throat. The footsteps neared. Closer. Closer. Darkness broke up the thin line of light at the base of the wall. Then, in a flash, the room was filled with brightness, and Vivian felt as though she'd been blinded. By the time she was able to see once more, three of the dark robed figures, with their cold gold chains, stood before her. She watched in horror as all three lifted their deadly looking cloaked arms.

"A gift of peace, in all good faith."


	20. Chapter 20

***I know it's been ages since I posted. I haven't forgotten the story... I've just been in a bit of a lull. I'll try to get you another update by the end of the month. I just didn't realise how difficult it can be writing when you're trying to keep with a canon storyline. Here is a bit for you until then.**

* * *

Coffa scanned the room for the steward. The tree groaned when he realised that the man was nowhere to be seen, though he wasn't surprised. The steward on these automated platforms was never around when you needed them... and there was the fact they were generally rather useless. He could feel the bark on his face harden at the thought to the stupidity of these ships. There was rarely any staff to call for, and even though the platform was the height of the alpha class, there were always glitches, and they always seemed to lack competent crew. He shook his head, he really couldn't see why Jabe thought so highly of them. He glanced briefly to see the Rose human attempting to speak with a group of the small Crespallions and frowned. He knew they wouldn't be of any help. As useless as he was, he'd need to speak with the steward.

"Where have you been?" Coffa's attention was drawn to the sound of Lute's voice. "You look troubled." Lute studied the face of his friend with concern.

"Has Jabe returned with the Doctor?" Coffa asked.

"No..." Lute told him, concern evident in his tone. "Is something wrong, is Jabe in some danger from this Doctor?"

Coffa rubbed one of his branches across his face. "It is the lady. The lady with the eyes... eyes like the ancient grandfathers."

Lute immediately knew of whom Coffa was speaking and the corners of his lips lifted. "Found a human that you can tolerate? Female at that?" To an outsider, Lute's face might have seemed severe; however, to those of tree-kind, it was obvious the tree was amused.

Coffa frowned, hoping his friend would be serious. He could feel it in his branches, something was very wrong. "She's missing. Disappeared down a maintenance duct after a... cat." His face looked as though he'd tasted something foul.

Lute grimaced. He hated cats, they had a tendency to be clingy and irritating, especially the females. He quickly dismissed his thoughts on cats and asked, "And you think there is something more?"

Coffa nodded. "Her friend, the Rose human..." He looked around for Rose and realised she was missing. The tree's bark seemed to pale slightly and appear rougher, as though his the whole of his body was frowning.

"What?" Lute asked.

"The Rose woman, she's gone." Coffa turned in place to take in the whole room. He was just in time to see Rose leaving the observation deck. He frowned. Two of the darkly cloaked aliens had left their grouping to follow her.

Lute followed the direction of Coffa's gaze. "We could contact the..."

Whatever Lute was about to say was cut off, because, in a blink, Coffa was already following after the Rose female. Lute sighed and grumbled, his deep voice groaning with a heavy weight. He took a step forward and called out to his friend, "Where are you going?" He halted when Coffa turned back around.

"Stay here and wait for the Doctor," Coffa directed, "if you see him, tell him that The Lady may be in danger. I'm following after Rose."

Lute nodded and let the older tree disappear down a hallway. Had it been any other tree, Lute might have been offended at being ordered about; however, this was Coffa... and it was so unlike him. Had the situation not been so serious, he would have found the other tree's actions amusing. After all, the woman Vivian was lovely... for someone so... human.

Coffa hurried down the hallway that Rose had disappeared through. Unfortunately, by the time he caught up, Rose couldn't be seen, and the corridor had split into three different passages. With a sigh of relief, he happened to notice one of the memes disappear down a bend in the rightmost hallway. The hallway leading back towards the duct where Vivian had been.

The tree followed behind the meme at a distance, careful not to be seen. Coffa was growing concerned moment by moment. Rose was nowhere to be seen, and the other meme had disappeared. He'd taken the wrong turn. The memes had split up, and he'd followed the wrong way.

Coffa momentarily considered returning to the observation deck; however, he knew something more was going on. Something involving the dark cloaked figures. He watched from a distance as the figure slowly typed, one number at a time with its long silver claws. It wasn't difficult to determine the code from Coffa's distance, considering the enhanced eyesight of tree-kind. He observed closely until the doors of the locked room opened, and the creature disappeared into the dark room ahead.

* * *

Vivian groaned as she slowly came to. The first thing she noticed was that it was once more extraordinarily dark and hot... sweltering. A wave of déjà vu washed over her, and for a moment she was back in one of the Tchorlian caverns; however, she soon came to her senses when she noticed a grated panel high above. "Hello!" She called out and tried to stand. "Is someone there?" She quickly realised standing had been a very bad idea. The pain in her head flashed through the rest of her body. "Ohhhh," she cried as the pain throbbed. She swayed unsteadily as she lifted her hand to feel the hot flesh where she'd been knocked out. She could feel the rise on her skin already, and she wasn't sure if the dampness she felt there was sweat of blood. "Please?" She called out once more towards the grating; however, the sound hurt her ears so much that she quickly quieted... she silently sobbed, occasionally drying her throat with hot breaths of air.

There was no reply.

She sank to the ground, ready to just give up.

"Earth Death in ten minutes," the observation deck computer echoed from high above her, a reminder that the end of the world was coming soon. She let out a choked laugh. "Earth death," she mumbled. The earth was about to die. She was going to die. The laugh became a sob. It was then she saw it. Or... at least thought she saw it… an opening in the wall. No, a door. A door that was opened, just a crack. She blinked and then widened her eyes, allowing her pupils to take in every bit of light within the room. She wasn't mistaken. An exit.

"Thank you... thank you..." she cried out to whatever was looking out for her and hurried forward... and promptly fell flat on her face, tripping over something on the floor. A large something. A body.

* * *

The Doctor pushed on the door, and it swung open to reveal a cavernous room, it's dark metal walls and smooth marble floors shining darkly in the filter light that broke through the walls.

"Well that's a bit dramatic and sort of nice and old-fashioned." He grinned at Jabe. "Bet they call it retro just to charge a bit extra for you lot." He winked at the tree, causing her to quirk her lip flirtatiously at him.

He then gave a bit of a shiver. "Is it me, or is it a bit nippy?" He turned to face the fans rotating over a dimly lit catwalk. "Fair do's, though," he nodded to the fans, "that's a great bit of air conditioning." He then spun back around and began examining the wall closest to the door.

Jabe watched as the Doctor ran his sonic along three of the panels making up what she assumed was some sort of control board. She couldn't help but feel an excited jolt of adrenalin when he found what he was looking for.

"Gotcha!" He grinned at Jabe before focusing back on the panel.

She watched him draw his screwdriver around the edges and then pull the panel off. Both were taken back slightly when a metal spider scuttled out of the control area and hurried up the wall to get away. "What the hell's that?" The Doctor followed the spider's progress.

"Is it part of the retro?" Jabe asked, though she very much doubted it was.

"I don't think so, but Hold on." He raised his screwdriver to attempt to immobilise it; however, it was too far away. The Doctor feared it would get away; however, from behind him, a long vine shot passed him and pulled the spider down towards them. Just as quickly, the Doctor reached out and grabbed it, immobilising with his sonic.

Once the spider was safely subdued, the Doctor turned and grinned at Jabe. "Nice liana."

Jabe blushed. "Thank you. We're not supposed to show them in public."

The Doctor smirked. "Don't worry," he winked at her, "I won't tell anybody."

Jabe blushed and was about to say something; however, any comment she might have made was literally nipped in the bud as the Doctor returned to business. "Now then," the Doctor said as he examined the mechanical spider, "who's been bringing their pets on board?"

Jabe leaned in to get a better look. "What's it for?" she asked.

"Sabotage."

"Earth Death in ten minutes," the computer announced.

"And, the temperature's about to rocket." The Doctor warned before rushing towards the door, Jabe hurrying behind.

* * *

Rose groaned in pain as she slowly became aware of her surroundings once more. She wiped her hair out of her face and winced at the soreness along her cheek. Suddenly remembering what had happened, Rose shot to her feet, which was a really bad idea. She promptly tumbled to the floor in a heap once more, this time falling hard upon her knees, letting out another long groan followed a string of curses. She pressed herself up slowly and looked around the room. She was in the same room that they had arrived in. She looked towards the door, in hopes of seeing the TARDIS; however, it was gone. She began to panic. How long had she been out? Had the Doctor left? In her fear, she quickly tried to stand once more. Though the pain was still there, the dizziness had passed, and only panic remained. She hurried to the door and pressed the button for it to open. It remained fixed. She pressed it again. Nothing. She let out a cry and pushed on the door. It didn't move at all. "Let me out! Help me! Let Me out!" She banged on the door. She looked around in a panic, the TARDIS was gone, and she was locked in a room. And, somewhere those robed aliens were wondering around with their large metal claws. Rose absentmindedly rubbed the side of her face as she tried to remember what had happened. She frowned. The last thing she recalled was a sharp looking metal hand rising and then moving quickly towards her face. She could feel a bruise forming along her cheekbone. Great.

The sound of the computer announcing, "Earth Death in ten minutes," drew her attention to the large viewing window. She hurried over and let out a sigh of relief. There it was. The Earth. The Earth was still there, just as she knew it. Surely the Doctor wouldn't have left until after the end of the world. Unfortunately, her relief was short lived when she heard the computer's voice once more, "Sun filter descending." She could suddenly feel the room beginning to get really warm, where only moments ago, she had actually been chilled; she could feel beads of sweat beginning to appear on her forehead. "Sun filter descending," the computer taunted, just before the glass on the window began to crack. Rose's eyes widened, and she ran to the door and began banging with all her might once more. "Let me out! Help! Let me out!"


End file.
